


The Hunt

by nickycdz



Series: The Hunt [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Angst with a Happy Ending, Explosions, F/F, F/M, Gunshot Wounds, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Mention of Abandon, Mentions of Death, Near Death Experiences, Original Character(s), Panic Attacks, References to Illness, Shooting Guns, Slow Burn, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:06:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 202,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26376991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickycdz/pseuds/nickycdz
Summary: What can you see when you close your eyes for the night and lay your head on the pillow? Will you dream with sweet food and happy laughs, or with loud explosions and blinding pains? Well, he could see it all, especially the second option. But together in there was always a white owl with black streaks. Looking at him. Waiting for him. Will it fly away if he reach out for it? Will it attack or guide him to a better place? Was it death or life? All he knows is that he really wants to follow the owl, but he is too scared to try. And every time he opens his eyes, and the dreams once again fades away, he can still feel the owl’s eyes on him. Waiting. Watching.Protecting.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kuroo Tetsurou/Kozume Kenma, Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tanaka Saeko/Tsukishima Akiteru, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: The Hunt [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916902
Comments: 248
Kudos: 215





	1. Prologue…

Will ever be justice in a world where the survival of the fittest takes place? Then again, what is justice? Is it equality or is it legality? Can’t it be both? Can’t the laws guarantee equality and inclusion? Would we need to talk about inclusion if everyone consider themselves equal?  
Maybe an equal world can exist.

However, it is not this one.

In this one, people are segregated since birth. Because if you are born in a low class neighborhood you will be a low class individual. Just like your parents and your grandparents before you. Moreover, there are places where you can go and places where you cannot. Is this fair? Is it justice? Some people might think so.  
Because it is the law.  
And can you defy it? Maybe. You just need to present as an Alpha. Even if your whole lineage is full of betas for generations. After all, a beta can only legally procreate with another beta. Therefore, the baby might as well in the future, present as a beta. Because betas are important and they need to keep existing for the sake of the whole society. They are the ones that keep everything running. They are the ones that clean the streets, that grow seeds and livestock at the fields outside the city, that run restaurants and markets, and write newspapers, and are secretaries, cooks, waiters, babysitters, teachers in beta schools, coaches and athletes in beta leagues, cleaners, fishers, sellers-

But never leaders.  
Positions of leadership belonged to alphas. Alphas were mayors, companies CEOs, directors in hospitals and schools, even in Sector B, the beta sector. Because betas did not rule. They work. They are employees not employers.  
But hey, that was not so bad. At least they were not omegas.

Omega.  
That is something you do not want to be. This secondary gender that once was essential in a matriarchal society was overcome by alphas that killed many of them and theirs sympathizers, and the country that once was peaceful and free from gender prejudices, experienced years of civil war until the alpha army rose victorious.  
Well, countries. This was a worldwide event. It is not clear where the alphas first attacked, but the movement spread all over the globe. Only few kingdoms in central Africa and isolated tribes in the poles remained loyal to their omegas, but these places sealed their borders to the rest of the world.  
Everywhere else, omegas served only for two purposes, and one of that was breeding. The chances of an alpha being born are higher between Alpha/Omega couples, especially when the alpha is stronger than the omega. In the old days, the chances were the same for all genders. It did not matter if the couples were Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Beta, Beta/Omega or Beta/Beta, their children could be any of the genders alike. However, the alphas grew stronger.

Because of what? No one really knows. Researchers says that genetic mutations began to enhance humanity’s five senses. Only one or two at the beginning. Alphas here and there began to hear or see more than the average rate. Soon enough people were classified according their enhanced senses. Going from level 1 to 5 according to the number of senses manifested.  
While their senses become sharper, violence began to spread, and old disagreements came back and started to divide people. When the first’s alphas with three enhanced senses begin to appear, the military saw an opportunity to gain power. With the promise of wealth and prestige, the military alpha schools began to recruit young alphas, where the ideals of a society based on the genders hierarchy took form and adepts. Soon enough, the government was being challenged and a military coup took place.

This was more than 20 years ago.

After the coup, society changed. The cities changed to accommodate new forms of living. The largest and bests areas were reserved for alpha residences, where luxurious houses and big apartments could be found. That was Sector A. This sector also contained the government buildings, the military academy and training center, as well as the best restaurants, theaters, banks and shopping’s. The business ward of this sector never stopped, while the residential ward was extremely clean, silent and highly guarded.  
Being the alpha sector, Sector A was exclusive for alphas. The only betas allowed in it were low employees that kept the business ward running, and they could only be where their IDs and permissions cleared them to be. Also, only during their work hours. Every beta have an ID card that needs to be scanned every two hours so that the gender control department can know exactly if everyone is where they’re supposed to be from the moment they enter the Sector A territory, until they leaves it.  
In case of the omegas, there is only one place where they are allowed in this sector and it is inside their mates’ residences. They can only walk in the streets or go to the business ward in company of their alpha mate, but even that was bad seen, so it was common for the mated omegas to only leave the house once or twice a month.

At least they had a home. Other omegas lived in the breeding center located in Sector B. The center belonged to the military ward of this sector, and was highly restricted. The older omegas in this center were scheduled to spend their heats with alphas to procreate the next generation, forced to pregnancy after pregnancy to keep the system running. The babies stayed in the center with their mothers until the age of five, when they begin attending kindergarten and school after that. The school building was inside the breeding center compound, dormitories included, and children began to live there with the supervision of teachers and other school employees, who basically were levels 1 and 2 alphas.  
The school was not only responsible for raising children, but also for educate them in the ideals of hierarchy. Every six months the head teachers had to make detailed reports about the students in their classes, trying to anticipate the child’s secondary gender based on their behavior, personality and strength. The result is the constant changing of classes, until the probable future alphas are parted from the others to be educated as the higher class in society.  
Once the children reach their teen years there are three different paths to go. If they present as an alpha, they leave the school to go to the military academy in Sector A, where they will be trained and educated in combat techniques and war strategy. After graduating, levels 1 and 2 becomes government employees, usually part of vigilant departments and the city police, and in due time, the more qualified ones have a chance as presidents and CEOs when these spots appear.  
Alphas with level 3 to 5 are sent to the training program to be made full soldiers, and after that, they are located in one of the fighting companies all around the country. These alphas become the Sentinels.

Back to the school, the ones that might somehow present as beta, which were extremely rare in this center, were sent to the beta school in Sector B, where they will graduate and begin to work in various kinds of jobs. As for the ones that presents omega, their future will be remaining in the same school to engage lessons about cooking, cleaning and etiquette. After graduating school, the high ranked omegas are selected as potential mates to the sentinels, and if they happen to be compatible, they will follow their mates to their assigned bases during missions to ensure their health. Low ranked omegas become breeders at the center and replace the old ones that cannot bear children anymore.

It is among the high ranked omegas that lies the second purpose of this secondary gender. They are the Guides.  
The same genetic mutation that enhanced alphas senses also applied to omegas, but manifested not in physical changes, but in psychic ones. Omegas that become guides are first known as empaths, and they have the ability to influence other people's minds and emotions. They can even perform telepathic attacks, which could cause even brain death if it performed by a strong guide. However, they can also protect. The ability to create a telepathic shield in their own and other’s mind is used to protect the mind against other telepathic users. In addition, this is the only technique omegas are allowed to use on alphas, especially their mates.  
By law, an empath omega can only mate a Sentinel, and with that, they start to be called a Guide. Like alphas and sentinels, omegas and guides are also ranked according to their abilities. Omegas are known to be from level 0 to 4, where the level 0 omegas are not even considered empaths, since they don’t manifest any kind of ability, much like betas.  
Omegas from level 1 to 4 are the ones who can mate sentinels and become guides, although the level 1 almost never did. To be compatible to a sentinel, the omega’s power need to be in a similar rate as the alpha, and since only level 3 to 5 alphas become sentinels, a level 1 omega could never be compatible. Therefore, level 1 omegas usually becomes a breeder in the center, and their only ability is to create the protection of the shield.  
To the level 2 omegas there is also the ability to influence other people’s emotions and thoughts. This is of major use to the sentinels, once when their enhanced senses gets out of control, overwhelming the alpha and leaving them in a state called zone, from which they cannot recover from without help. So the guides can influence the sentinels to shut down the sense that they lost control upon until they can manage it back to normal.  
Level 3 omegas are much more rare. Other than the shield and the influence, these omegas can send thoughts and emotions through the bond. They can create a temporary telepathic line with their mates, which the duration and cleanness will depend on the power and ability of the omega. Another essential requirement for this kind of connection is the own stability of the bond. The telepathic line can only be established if the couple is satisfied with each other. There must be trust and confidence between them, and the healthier their relationship is, the stronger will be the bond and the psychic connection. However, since most of the omegas end up mating sentinels through arranged union, strong relationships are quite unusual these days.

Finally, the level 4 omegas. These omegas are powerful in all the other mental abilities, plus an especially dangerous one. Mind control.  
This power comes due to not only a strong bond with a strong mate, but also need the strength, loyalty and trust of a pack. For that reason, this kind of ability was only seen in the royal family before the fall of the last dynasty. The military made sure to eliminate the royal household, especially the omegas, but also alphas and betas alike. With that, not only the firsts and last known level 4 omegas were killed, as so the royal pack. And because of that, the mind control was never again seen.

Until now.


	2. Level 5 Alpha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphas are the highest in the social hierarchy, but is life always perfect?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey!  
> First Haikyuu fan fiction here, and first post in Ao3, please be patient with me! Go to the endnotes to know more!  
> Hope you enjoy the reading!

November 6th - 09:00 am

Sector A.  
Alternatively, the so-called Alpha Sector.  
Every major city in Japan had one, and this one, in the city of Tokyo, was one of the most amazing in all the country! It was the biggest, brightest and liveliest of them all! At least that is what Bokuto Koutarou thought.  
Not that he ever saw any other though.

But there was a huge problem with this city. Everything was too bright, too big, and too loud. Actually, everything was too much. Especially for him.  
Being one of the best sentinels out there, with perfect physical skills, graduating in top of his class in the military academy - at least concerning to the physical stuff, but hey, math is not THAT important - and the ace of training center, Bokuto was admired by most his friends and colleagues.  
He was amazing. He, Bokuto, level 5 Alpha Bokuto Koutarou. He was incredible in so many ways, and a very good person too! Still, his life was not perfect.

Something was missing.

Despite the common belief, being a level 5 alpha wasn’t the best thing ever. Having all his senses enhanced was hard. He had to use medicine to suppress them ever since he presented in the age of 14, and immediately two of his five senses popped out like a blast, and suddenly he was lying in the cafeteria floor in a cacophony of noises and smells. Less than a year later, his sight decided to show him every little detail of everything while his eyes were open. Earning him a terrible headache and another week at the infirmary.  
Taste was not so bad. Eight months later, he began to taste food better. Oh, how juicy was the taste of meat! Yakiniku was heaven, curry was amazing and the rice soft and perfect. And sweets. Oh, the sweets! He could not even decide which cake he liked best now. The down point was the taste of medicine. Those were a pain to swallow. Even the so-called tasteless ones.  
Touch was another tricky thing. The same time that he loved to feel the soft fur of kittens and puppies under his hands, or a bird’s feather in his fingers when he got to that owl cafe on his days off, this sense could also be a pain. Literally. The first time his touch turned against him he was at fighting practice. Funny enough, he wasn’t even being hit, he was the one doing the movement and lending a perfect punch in his training partner’s jaw. The pain that started on his knuckles was so intense that travelled throughout his whole body, like all his nerves were shouting at the same time. On top of that, he could also feel every single cramp of his tired muscles, his sweat felt like acid rolling down his spine. Even shouting hurt. Hurt not only his sensitive ears, but also his over aware existing vocal cords.

So yeah, he needed medicine. Lots of it. But also not too much of it.  
The military doctor responsible for his sentinel division, major Azumane Asahi, pretty nice guy, don’t care much about hierarchy and formalities, which is good because Bokuto forgets about it all the time, and the doctor likes to talk, and help, not aggressive at all even being a level 3 alpha, which is odd because genera-

Anyway, the doctor told him that if he increased his suppressants his senses would begin to numb. It could escalate to a life-threatening thing, whatever that may be, he was not really paying attention, but Kuroo was, and that is enough for him. Therefore, he had to live with his senses half controlled, having a few overloaded senses crises occasionally. That was his life. Well, at least until they find a more permanent solution.

And that is what they are doing today! Today a new group of omegas is graduating at the omega school, which means that the stronger ones are going to be selected and exhibited to the unmated sentinels to see if any of them are compatible. So here he is, in a car going to the omega school in sector B, with his best friend as emotional support, to find himself a mate and end his nightmare of uncontrolled senses.

A mate. That is what he needs. He is a Sentinel missing a Guide. And a guide is the only thing that can finally help him to reign control of himself. In addition, his case was even more problematic. Being a level 5 meant that he was one of the strongest alphas out there, and for that he would need a strong omega too. A strong and controlled omega to match his powerful and loud self.

And that’s not easy. The same system that ensured the birth of more alphas than omegas, also made the omegas weaker. So it was always a problem when an alpha such as Bokuto appears, and not all of them manage to find that perfect match for a mate, having to live forever with a weak marriage and lots of pills. These alphas usually retired early, no matter how strong they were.

That was not what he wanted. He did not want to retire to one of the government facilities and do paperwork for the rest of his life. He was a soldier, and that was what he liked to be. It was the only thing he knew.  
Also, he did not want to lose his team. After graduating the academy, all sentinels were assigned to a division and a base of operation. He belonged to Alpha Team Sentinel-4, also known as TS-4. There he made friends, people understood him, even when his senses and moods got him down. They fought together in the field, played together during days off. Ate, cleaned, got suspended. They were his friends, his family. His pack.

And he didn’t want to leave them behind. But for that he needed a mate. To make him feel better, to make him even stronger. Someone made just for him.  
Why does it need to be so hard to find them?

“Do you think there’ll be anyone there for me?” Bokuto asked his friend in a low voice, not even moving his eyes from the car window where he could see the beautiful streets from Sector A passing outside.

For a moment Kuroo did not realized that he had been spoken to. Bokuto was unusually quiet the whole morning, but he knew that his friend was having a rough week. Two nights in a row, he woke up screaming because of nightmares just to give himself a headache due to his enhanced hearing, while during the day any scent would be too much for his nose.

Raising his sight from the phone in his hands, the level 4 alpha looked at his best friend. Kuroo knew that Bokuto’s chances were not good. Not good at all. But he couldn’t say that. He needed to keep Bokuto believing that he still had a chance to find a mate. Even if it not the perfect one that he wished for. But someone. Anyone, as long as his friend gets better, anyone would do.

“I bet there will buddy.” Kuroo said with a half smile, even if Bokuto wasn’t exactly looking at him right now. “I’m sure we’ll find someone there to you and make everything well again.”

Bokuto just nodded, he wasn’t so sure. All the other times were just a bunch of lost time. Outside the window he suddenly saw a shadow. It was more of a different movement in top of all the blur of houses and buildings in the landscape. Slowly, ever so slowly he focused his eyes at the image, but it was more something he was feeling other then seeing.  
And then that it was. Like a daydream before his eyes, a tiny but beautiful owl flying outside, in parallel with the car. Going to the same direction as they were, flapping its wings with both grace and power, keeping up with their speed. Sometimes it would vanish among the trees and houses just to appear once more up ahead. And Bokuto kept looking, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seem.

Just like in his dreams.

In those once in a lifetime dreams where he didn’t wake up screaming, or dizzy, or even hurting all around. Those dreams where the tiny dark brown and gray owl would look and call for him. He never once thought twice before reaching out and going after it, because he knew in his heart that that’s the direction he wanted to go. But the owl would always fade or fly too fast for him to follow. And them he would wake up again, to this too much bright world.

He kept following the owl with his eyes, wondering if he was daydreaming. He just realized that the car was leaving Sector A to enter Sector B because of a large turn at the highway that leaded the way to the omega school. He even just realized the turn because the owl was going the other way. He could just watch it flying farther and farther, once again going away from him. He didn’t missed the moment when the still flying owl looked back, right at him, just to make a low screech, that Bokuto more felt than heard, and disappear like a ghost in thin air.

Right in front of the car, the military compound of sector B started to come into view. It made him feel odd. This wasn’t the direction he wanted to be following. It wasn’t the way the owl wanted him to go.

“What if there isn’t anyone? What if this is the wrong place?” he asked one last time.

“Then we keep looking somewhere else.” Kuroo said.

Bokuto just nodded again. It was time for him to wake up. The owl was a dream that had faded once more. He needed a mate, not a dream. And the omega school in front of him would give him that.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Being back to the compound in sector B was already a common occurrence for him. He came back so many times that he lost count. For starters, Bokuto was born here. His mother was an omega of the breeding building, who got pregnant after spending her heat with a selected alpha at the time, whose Bokuto never even knew the name.  
But it’s fine, it’s actually normal. Between his infant days and his five year old birthday he lived at the breeding center with his mother and so many other omegas and their children. After that he started school and moved to the dorms. First sleeping in a large room with other kids, than in a smaller one, with 3 other roommates. With time he was selected as one of the likely to be alpha, and began to share a room with another 3 boys as loud and excited as him.

This kind of arrangement, where you keep moving around with different people all the time, results in little to no attachments. It’s difficult to create a bond with people if you knew that they would probable move away anytime. It looked like the idea was just that. Afterall you never knew what the person next you would present. If they happen to be an omega or a beta, unlike an alpha like you, you should be able to let them go live in the not so nice parts of the city with their future boring jobs. Right?

Anyway, the military academy was totally different! Better rooms with only one rommie, more space for you stuff, not that you have much yet, but now you have an allowance, you can buy what you want in the days off. Oh, and everyone else is like you! All alphas training and studying together, getting to know each other and becoming friends. Becoming a team.

That was how he met Kuroo.  
Kuroo Tetsurou was one of those super rare cases. He was born in a beta family and lived in sector B until the age of 15 when he presented as an alpha. He was immediately transferred to the military academy after the principal of the beta school informed the authorities. His parents were happy for him, since in a heart beat their son advanced to a higher status, and even if that meant they would almost never see each other, they knew their son would be a great alpha.  
Kuroo than became Bokuto’s roommate. In the beginning their relationship was very odd. Kuroo was too jumpy and quiet, almost never looked at Bokuto’s face and never started conversations with anyone. The ice only broke between them one night before their chemistry test when Bokuto was having a panic attack because he knew absolutely nothing about it. He begged for Kuroo’s help and they ended up studying all night, and Kuroo heard so many whines from Bokuto, having to hit the other’s head with the notebooks so many times, that their relationship changed. Bokuto still failed the test and had to do extra school work during break, but he got a new friend that stayed beside him no matter what.

And now this great friend was leading the way into the omega’s school building to help him find a mate. They were welcomed by a teacher at the entrance and guided toward the auditorium, not exactly all that necessary due to the number of times they walked these halls, but the alphas sentinels should always be treated with extreme courtesy and respect. 

Bokuto looked at the teacher assigned to lead them and noticed the star pin in the man’s collar. Just like the two sentinels, the teacher was dressed in his full military uniform, the only difference was that he had only one pin in his collar, while Bokuto had five star pins and Kuroo had four.  
Level 1 alpha male then. Bokuto thought. Which was pretty normal, since the majority of the employees in this school were level 1 alphas, responsible for keeping control and show authority to the omega kids.

The man was animatedly talking to then, although only Kuroo responded him a couple of times. He was saying that they had a very good group of omegas this year, all well trained in cooking and etiquette, and a good number being classified as level 2. Bokuto only nodded once. He was worried because he knew a level 2 omega wasn’t going to be enough for him. He needed someone stronger. For a moment there, the owl’s screech came back to his ears, only to let him feeling even more lost with himself.

The door to the auditorium was closed and in its corridor there was a group of young alphas, all waiting for a chance to choose a mate as well. When Bokuto saw them he noticed that most had three stars, only two four stars. Some of them on full sentinels uniforms, probably newly graduated, others still with the academy uniform.  
The teacher passed through then all with purpose, but never looking in their eyes. Even if they were much younger than him, their stars showed that they were stronger, and for that, superior. Bokuto and Kuroo followed looking forward, keeping their line of sight above them all. Being a level 5 meant that Bokuto outranked all of them, and Kuroo was older than the other level 4 present.

Being the higher rank meant that Bokuto had the right to choose a omega first, so he stepped inside the room right after the teacher. The room was almost all darkness, with lowlights to show the way forward. At the stage the light was fully on, showing a group of six young omegas lined side by side. They were wearing their school uniforms and looked forward when they heard the door open and the alphas enter.

The school principal was also inside, close to the door, and greeted them first. At the sideways of the room there were other alphas, some teachers and securities, to ensure the safety and behavior of the students.

“Welcome Sir, I hope you had a good drive here.” The principal said to Bokuto. “You will see that our students here today are one of the best group we ever had. No doubt your mate is among them.”

Bokuto just nodded and began to walk toward the stage. He didn’t even approached them and was already with a bad feeling. He didn’t like this whole ordeal. He could sense they were nervous from distant, scared smells all around. He got closer and stopped to look at the group. No one was looking at his eyes. All the omegas were standing with their heads down, looking at their feet and holding their hands behind their backs.

Bokuto was feeling like standing in a exposition, and he wasn’t linking it. He looked towards the first one from his left, it was a girl with dark straight hair, thin frame and light gray eyes. She wasn’t making a single sound, but he could smell her nervousness from a mile away. The second one, also a girl but a little shorter, had bright yellow hair and was shaking like a leaf. Eyes pinched closed and lips trembling. Bokuto suddenly wanted to hug her until she could cry it all out, but he knew it would only frighten her more if he stepped closer.

The room was extremely quiet, no one daring to make the slightest sound. He then looked at the next kid, it was a boy with short brown hair. He was tall and slender, eyes the same colour as his hair, but to the sentinel it seemed so sad and empty that made him want to cry. The other one beside him, a boy with bright orange hair and brown eyes was completely different. He was incapable of standing still and kept bouncing lightly in the heel of his feets. He even dared to look up at Bokuto’s direction, only to be scolded by a teacher’s voice coming from the side. Bokuto looked in the general direction of the voice with a glare, and when he looked back, the boy was looking at his own feet with a frown.  
The fifth was a girl and the sixth a boy. Both so alike that they could easily be twins. Dark hairs and long limbs, eyes down and not a single movement being made. Bokuto felt almost nothing coming from them, scent almost nonexist and no nervousness. He looked again to all of them, anxiety and frustration growing inside him. They weren’t there. His mate wasn’t there. He couldn’t just pick one like they were fruits at the market. He felt it was all wrong somehow but he didn’t know how to fix it.

“Thank you for you time.” He said to the omegas and began to walk back toward the door. He wanted to leave this place and stay far away from all the stares he was receiving from everyone at the room.  
“Are you sure you don’t want to look at them closer sir?” asked the principal when Bokuto got close to him.  
“They’re not here.” it was all he said while opening the door and stepping outside.

Outside he was met with more confused looks while he strided down the hallway. He didn’t miss the whispered questions as of why wasn’t he accompanied by an omega. He didn’t stop his steps, ignoring both his friend’s calls and the sound of the principal’s voice calling the level 4 alphas inside.

“Bo wait!” Kuroo caught up to him at the empty entrance hall, pulling on his shoulders to stop him. “What happened there? You didn’t even went up the stage to see them closer!”  
“What you want me to do Kuroo!?” Bokuto cried out. “They were so young! And terrified! They must thought I was going to eat then!”  
“I know they’re young, the principal said they were between 16 and 17 years old. But they presented and graduated the school, so it’s time to find a mate.” Kuroo said.  
“I’m 21 Kuroo! I can’t mate a 16 years old! This is too wrong!”  
“But you didn’t find your mate when you were that age, and you need one right now! Do you want to live the rest of your life between pills and hospitals?”

Bokuto was getting more upset and frustrated with his friend’s speech. He knew Kuroo was right, but he still didn’t liked it. He pulled his own hair and cried out with tears pricking his eyes. “BUT THEY WEREN’T THERE KUROO!!”  
“Stop that!” Kuroo raised his voice and grabbed at Bokuto’s wrist. “You need to stop that right now! Stop looking for the perfect mate that only exist in your head!”  
“It’s easy for you to say! You found your fated one!” Bokuto countered.  
“There is no such thing as fated mates Bokuto!” said Kuroo “Ken and I only got lucky to be born in the same neighborhood. The fact that I presented alpha and he omega even being born in both betas households was almost a miracle!”  
“It wasn’t a miracle Kuroo, it was fate! You called for him at night when he presented and your senses got out of control out of nowhere! You called and he answered! He was your destiny!” Bokuto cried.  
“God you’re too stubborn.” Kuroo let go of him and took a deep breath. After a minute of silence he signed and spoke again. “You need a mate Bo. You’ve been looking for one since you were eighteen. You need to stop waiting for fate and choose someone. Hell, pick anyone to help yourself already!”  
“But that’s not fair Kuroo! And it won’t work either! I need someone strong enough to hold my five enhanced senses. It needs to be at least a level 3, not a 2!”  
“You know pretty well that the omegas can only reach level 3 after matting. There’s no way you’ll find an unmated omega above level 2.” Kuroo reasoned.  
“But if I pick anyone our bond would never be strong enough. And it’s not fair! These poor omega are so scared! They also need their fated ones, they deserve to be happy!” Bokuto said looking into his friend’s eyes. “And what if my fated one is out there? Won’t they’ll be lonely if I choose another? I can’t just give up on them!”

Silence was made once again. Kuroo stared at Bokuto for a while, then reached out to hold the back of Bokuto’s head and pressed their foreheads together.

“You’re a nice guy Bo. Any omega that you choose would be happy. But you need one man, I don’t want to see you in pain anymore. I want you to be safe.”

Bokuto also reached for the other’s head and looked at his friend. “I’ll find them Tetsu, I know I will. I just need to keep looking. I can’t give up.”

Kuroo signed once again and gave his friend a tight hug, patting his back before releasing the other. Bokuto did the same.

“Ok then, you sappy alpha. Let’s go to that owl cafe you like and plan the next place we’ll look for your destined one.”  
“Hey Hey Hey! Nice said! I want to pet a brown owl today!” Bokuto said.

They walked outside the building and towards the car that waited for them.

“Why exactly a brown one?” Kuroo asked opening the car’s door to get inside.

Bokuto looked up to answer his friend, but a blur in the distance caught his attention. Perked at the top of one of the compound high fences, looking right at him, was the same owl that he saw earlier. It stayed there looking and cocking its head at him, glowing low just like a dream.

“They just… give me a nice feeling.” He answered his friend before entering the car. Kuroo just shrugged and Bokuto kept his eyes on the owl. But when the car pulled out of the parking lot, the owl vanished as it was never there in the first place.

___________________________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you got here, then you survived my first chapter! Thank you, I love you!
> 
> All right now, let’s talk seriously. Things you need to know about me…  
> English is not my native language, and I am using this story to help improve my writing skills. Also, grammar is something I apparently cannot understand even in my own language, so if you people find anything wrong, you will be doing me a great favor in pointing it out! I am always ready to learn things, so please help me!
> 
> About this work… I started writing it a lifetime ago, and I am still writing it. This proves that I write slow as hell, I am sorry. But I really love this story and I know I will finish it… someday. I still do not know how many chapters it will have, only that I’ll have it in different parts so the plot don’t get too confusing or rushed.  
> I also do not know how long it will take to post new chapters. Schedule is something that I never managed to build in my life, so no promises. But if anyone wants to stick around for a while, I honest believe it will be worth it!
> 
> I have a Tumblr that I do not actually use much, but there are cute arts and reblogs there, so here it is!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nicky-th
> 
> See you guys next time!


	3. Where I was Supposed to Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Welcome to Owl’s Nest, how can I serve you two morons today?”
> 
> Anyone wants to know what exactly is the Hunt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To help understand the way I wrote things:
> 
> Between “ ” => "character speaking";  
> Italic => _Thoughts and voices inside their heads_ ;  
> Italic with “ ” => _“Mental conversations”_ ; (Yeah people, telepathy!)
> 
> Enjoy the reading! Do not skip the ending notes!

November 6th - 10:40 am

The place was still quiet, only with a couple of tables occupied with customers. The side room with the birds were not even open yet, since the owls were napping before the crowded time in the afternoon arrives. There was only a lonely employee at the counter waiting for any needs the few clients might have.

For those who does not know Tsukishima Kei, his current face would look like a professional poker face one, but for those who know him, it was clear that he was extremely bored. Standing beside the counter looking to absolutely nowhere, the tall beta male was almost screaming his head off.

Tsukishima was not happy for being working in this owl cafe in Sector A. He was not happy at all. He never thought his life would turn up to be like this, especially since throughout his childhood everyone thought he was going to present as an alpha. He was born at the breeding center and went to the school in the military compound at sector B, always hearing the teachers say that he would be an alpha, even transferring him to classes full of energetic and loud children to be educated as future alphas.

Well, he was never a loud child, but he was not a submissive one either. He always stood up at bullies and did not bow his head to adults full of themselves. He was nothing like an omega, and definitely had more attitude in him then most betas, so it was obvious he would be an alpha. Maybe not a level 4 or 5, but surely a level 2. Except that he was not an alpha at all. He was a beta in an alpha class. Soon enough everyone was sure he did not belong there.

The first day after he presented he was already being transferred to the beta school, and it was nothing like he ever seen before. Although he never lived in luxury during his time at the military compound, his previous school was much better than this one. The classes were too crowded and the cafeteria did not have food like the other one he knew.

The dorms were also horrible. If he thought that sharing a room with three other kids was bad, he learned to miss it. In the beta school dorm he lived in a large room, having only a bed with a small nightstand beside it, and a chest to put his clothes inside, with eight other kids from many different ages.

Since most betas were born in beta families, their children grew up at home, so the dorms were only for freaks like him sent from the breeding center. For that reason, the building had only two main bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small kitchen area where the teenagers could eat dinner. That if they learn to cook their own food, since the school cafeteria only served lunch.

For three years, Tsukishima lived like that since he presented at the age of 15. After that he was on his own, and since a beta family never adopted him, there was no one to pay for a college education. Not that the crap beta college would be any good, but at least he might be able to work as someone's secretary.

However, he still could not make it happen. So the only thing he could do was work in convenience stores and low class restaurants in Sector B. After six months, he heard that someone was in need of help in a new owl cafe at sector A, which he decided to apply immediately. See, it was not that he was an owl freak, it was that the payment was twice the one he had, just for being in the alpha sector.

So there he was, almost a year later, working inside the alpha sector of the city. Even if he did not want to work there. For one because it only remembers him about the life he thought he would have, and second, because of the need of clicking on his ID every couple of hours. He was being monitored all the time, and he hated it.

It was exactly at that moment when he was thinking about the things that he hates, that the door opened with too much force to be considered polite. A loud _Hey Hey Hey_ soon followed, and Tsukishima was once again asking himself what the hell he had done in his past life to deserve this one.

“Welcome to Owl’s Nest, how can I serve you two gentlemen today?” Although Tsukishima had said that with his perfect professional voice, the two alphas heard the distaste in his tone.

Well, they just know him too well.

“Oya oya oya Tsukki! Is that how you treat a customer?” Kuroo said with a smirk in his face.

Tsukishima did not blink. “Welcome to Owl’s Nest, how can I serve you two morons today?”

Bokuto left a squeal and busted out laughing, Kuroo following with his hyena like laughter.

“OWWNN, he cares!” Both alphas said with too loud voices.

The other customers looked at them with frowns on their faces. They were all alphas, and the looks they were sending them showed how they were not pleased. Neither with the loud duo, but even less with the beta who thought he could speak to alphas like that.

Tsukishima noticed the stares and cursed mentally. He would probably get another complain from his boss. Bokuto and Kuroo also noted, but they did not care, they knew no high status commander went to that cafe, so there was no one there they needed to be aware of.

Bokuto seated in a chair at the table by the counter and looked to the others at the shop, not hiding the way he fixed his own collar to show the five stars in it.

The eyes of the alphas that were sitting at the first table double sized. They got up and left fast after paying for their food and drinks. At the second table, a female alpha was sipping on her tea undisturbed, although Kuroo did not miss the little smile she tried to hide.

“Morning Shimizu-san, how are you today?” Kuroo said to her while sitting himself alongside Bokuto.

“I'm well, thank you Kuroo-san.,” she answered politely in a low voice. “Although I believe you two should not do this kind of thing often. You'll get Tsukishima-kun in trouble someday.”

“Nah, Tsukki loves us!” Bokuto said with a bright smile.

“I do not. And don't call me that.” Tsukishima said while giving them the menu.

“Now, now. No need to get grumpy Tsukki. Bo and I came to cheer you up!”

“Don’t you have to work? Are all Sentinels this lazy?” Tsukishima said with a bored expression.

“TSUKKI!!” Came a new and frightened voice. Another young beta with dark hair and freckles all over his face hurried to Tsukishima’s side. “Tsukki, don't speak to alphas like that!”

“Shut up Yamaguchi. Go back to the kitchen.”

“My break is over, I came to open the owl’s room.” He turned and bowed to the alphas. “I’m sorry for this gentlemen, please tell me if you need anything.”

“Now, now, Yama-kun. No need to be this stiff. We’re all friends here.” Kuroo said shaking his hand in the air.

“Neh, Neh! Yamaguchi! Can I see the owls now?” Bokuto asked jumping from his chair. “Tetsu! Order me a coke!”

“And give you sugar and caffeine before returning to the center? No way! You’ll have mint and chamomile tea.” Kuroo responded.

“Ah! You’re no fun!” Bokuto whined. He followed Yamaguchi to see the owls that were already perking up with their arrival.

Kuroo stayed behind at their table, right elbow on top of it, with his hand holding his chin while his eyes followed Bokuto’s movement. He heard his friend ask Yamaguchi for a brown owl in a tone so loud that a couple of birds inflated their feathers and flew away from him. He gave a slight side smile seeing the other man trying to apologize to the birds that kept flying away whenever he got close.

Shimizu did not miss the worry in Kuroo’s eyes while he looked at his friend. She approached the counter to pay for her orders and spoke lightly. “So, how’s he doing? You went to the omega school today right?”

Kuroo did not even realized that she was near him until she spoke. He jolted and touched his chest in a dramatic way. “God! How the hell can you sneak up at someone with an enhanced hearing?

“Practice.” She answered unfazed. “But having an enhanced touch helps sometimes.”

Kuroo knew that. He knew that Shimizu was a very capable and strong soldier. There was not many female alphas, but the ones he knew have more than proved to be outstanding. Apart from Shimizu Kiyoko, his battalion also had Tanaka Saeko, which was a beast in his opinion. He and Bokuto learned very soon to not mess with her.

However, he also knew that both of them have to train at least twice the males have. Although few people even acknowledge that.

It is not just an alpha world, it is also a male world.

_How can this even be fair?_

Kuroo looked to the she-alpha and then back to Bokuto. “Not well.” He signed. “He keeps saying that his mate wasn’t there. It is never there. Or anywhere else. I keep telling him that he needs to give up this idea of a fated mate, but he doesn’t listen.”

“Fated mate?” Tsukishima asked while giving Shimizu her change. “He still believes in the tale?”

“Tale? What tale?” It was Kuroo’s turn to ask.

“Oh yeah, you wasn’t born at the center.” Tsukishima said.

Before Kuroo could ask again, Shimizu decided to answer. “There is a tale, well, more like a lullaby than an actual story. The omegas mothers at the breeding center used to sing to their children about the fated mates.”

“Apparently the people in the old days believed a lot in fate. Guess it didn't work so nice for then though.” Tsukishima complement.

“Isn't it treason to talk about the days before the revolution?” Kuroo said.

“It is, but somehow they kept singing the song to their babies.” Shimizu said again, “I believe they get away with it because they don't even believe in it themselves. And the song doesn't say much about political things, only romantic ones.”

Kuroo nodded. He thought about why Bokuto never told him about it before. He told so many things about his childhood at the breeding center, but never about this song. Well, he did talk about fated mates and destiny, but never giving the source of it.

“And what the song says about mates?” he asked the other two.

Tsukishima shrugged “I honestly don't remember much. You are prohibited of talking about any kind of fate crap at the school after you turn five. With time you just forget about it.”

“Yes.” Shimizu added, “I guess that's why no one cares for the song so much. It is very confusing too, since the omegas first heard it from their own mothers and older omegas breeders. The first breeders at the center were omegas that have lived during the old government, so it's possible that they were the ones to sing it first.” she adjusted her purse in her shoulder “During the years the tale became an amount of scrambled things. I just remember them saying that they could mate for love, and something else like animals that guided the soulmates to each other.”

“Like I said, a bunch of fate crap.” Tsukishima finished.

Silence was made for half a minute then Kuroo signed. “Well, crap or not, my Bro believes in it. I don't know what to do with that.”

“Well, it would be best for him to get over it and find a mate soon. And for the both of you to not be late for the meeting tonight.” Shimizu said going to the door.

“Damn, I had already forgot about the meeting.” Kuroo said messing his hair “Thank you for the reminder Shimizu-san, see you later.”

Shimizu acknowledged with her head and left the cafe while Tsukishima bowed to her back. He served the drinks Kuroo finally ordered and retreated back to the counter to wipe it for a moment. Kuroo went to the door to the owl’s room end called for Bokuto.

“Hey owl-head, come drink your tea. We can’t stay for long, we have to get to the meeting soon.”

“Ahh man!” Bokuto whined. “Why do I have to get to the meeting in my day off?”

“Because Dad-chi wants us to. Now let’s get moving buddy.”

Bokuto looked and petted the owl in his arm one last time. It was a brown and white owl, not too big but also not so tiny. He wanted a brown and gray one, but Yamaguchi said that they did not have one like that. Apparently, this kind of feather tone combined is very rare to find in these animals. He was a bit upset but he liked the brown and white one too, knowing about this only made the owl in his dream even more special.

_Guess that one is just too perfect to be true._

He returned the owl to its place and joined Kuroo at the table again. He looked at his tea and then to his friend. “Geez… I asked you for a coke…”

“I know you did, I just think you need to relax a little today. We can have it tomorrow.”

Bokuto was not very happy but he accepted the tea anyway. He looked back at the owls while sipping it. “Any ideas of where else I can look for my mate?”

Kuroo signed and looked outside. “No idea Bo. All I know is the school and the breeding center, but I doubt you’ll find them among a level one from there.”

“Maaannn… I don’t believe there’s nowhere else we can find omegas these days!”

Tsukishima frowned his eyebrows at them. “What are you talking about? What about the Pit?”

Both alphas looked confused at him. “The Pit?” Bokuto asked, “What the hell is that Tsukki?”

Tsukishima fixed his glasses in his face. “The Pit. Where the outcast omegas are.” He continued wiping the counter. “But you alphas probably knows it by Sector C.”

The alpha’s eyes widened. Tsukishima has said that as if it was the most obvious thing on earth. Of course they knew Sector C, although they never stepped there. While Sector A was for Alphas and Sector B for Betas, Sector C was the omega ward.

The thing is, for them it was the same as nothing. Sector C was a ward created for that the omegas that retired from the breeding center, or those whose alphas mates were deceased, could live their last years. Since omegas are extremely dependable of their support group, the place is known as a closed community.

So it is basically a huge ward full of old people living in reclusion.

Or so they were told.

“TSUKKI!” Bokuto jumped “I need a mate, not a grandma! There’s only old people in sector C!”

“That’s why I didn’t get you any caffeine!” Kuroo pulled Bokuto to sit back in his chair. “But he is right Tsukki. We need someone in their twenties.”

“I don’t believe there’s only old omegas there.” Tsukishima frowned at them. “Otherwise there wouldn’t be The Hunt.”

The alphas got even more confused expressions on their faces, but right in the moment when Kuroo was going to ask for clarification something began to ring.

It was the beta bell.

Tsukishima hated this the most. This damn bell rang every two hours to make the betas in the shop check their IDs in the system. It was not a loud bell, so to not disturb alpha customers with enhanced hearing, but it only stops beeping after every beta that is supposed to be working at the moment checks in. The worst of it was the sentiment of being controlled.

It was frustrating. The alphas never had to answer or justify their current location. Even sentinels in their days offs could go wherever they pleased, even in the others sectors. But him, he needed to ask permission all the time. He could not even go home after work without checking in at the checking points along the way.

_What kind of freedom is that?_

Yamaguchi left the owl’s room where he was feeding the birds and headed to the kitchen to check his ID in. The low noises of the others works doing the same did not escape the alphas’ hearing, but Tsukishima stayed unfazed as nothing was going on. As if he did not need to do the same.

Kuroo raised his eyebrow at him. “Don’t you need to go too Tsukki?” He sounded confused and apologetic. “It’s ok, Bo and I are good here.”

“Why should I?” Tsukishima said harshly. He was not mad with them, but with the unfair rules he needed to follow.

“Uhhnn…” Bokuto did not find the words to use. He did not want to somehow offend the beta, but he also did not want his friend to be in trouble. He already saw betas going to jail for not checking in when they’re supposed to, or for being in a place their IDs didn’t permit them to be, or even because they weren’t with them in hand when approached by an alpha officer.

He knew it was not fair and the officer were pretty rough sometimes. But the law was the law, even if he did not like it.

He was fidgeting with his fingers trying to respond when Yamaguchi came back.

“Tsukki, I can cover here, go check.” The freckled man said carefully.

“Shut up Yamaguchi.”

“Come on Tsukki…, just put your ID card and your digital there and that’s done!” Yamaguchi tried again.

“Why should I?” Tsukishima was surprised with his own tone, but he was just too frustrated to care. “I already did it when I arrived, and I’m going to do it again before I leave. Why the government needs to know where I am every couple of hours!?”

Yamaguchi sighed. “Because it’s the l-...”

“Don’t come to me with the Law shit Tadashi-”

“Tsukishima!” A new voice came. The owner of the shop stepped out of the kitchen with a severe tone. He was a beta with a light gray hair and black tips, smaller than the others in the room, but with a low commanding voice that left no way of arguing. “Go check in.”

“Yes, Kita-san.” Tsukishima just sighed, bowed and left. Since he was the last to move to the kitchen and others were still checking in, he had to wait in line for a bit.

“Sorry for the disturbance gentlemen, can I offer some sweets to accompany your drinks? It will be on me.” The owner asked with a bow.

“We are fine, no need for apologies. Thank you for the offer, but we’ll be leaving soon.” Kuroo answered.

“Very well. Yamaguchi-kun will be attending to you for now.” He said left and after bowing again.

It was quiet for minute before Yamaguchi spoke again.

“Sorry for Tsukki’s temper. He’s having a hard time lately.”

“No worries Yama-kun.” Bokuto said. “Hey, Tsukki was saying something about Sector C and some kind of hunt?”

Yamaguchi visible trembled, which just spiked the alphas curiosity.

“Well… it’s not something good to be talking about.” He said.

“But can you tell us though?” Kuroo asked “We’re kind of desperate here, and that’s the first time I ever heard about it. And I was born in Sector B!”

“We won’t tell anyone you told us Yama-kun.” Bokuto completed.

Yamaguchi looks down at his feet with a frown. A minute later, he closes his eyes and sigh.

“Sector C is… complicated. You probably do not know, Kuroo-san, because just the betas who lives closer to the border can see the movements around there. And we don’t talk about it outside the neighborhood.”

“Why’s that?” Bokuto asked confused.

“Because The Hunt is illegal and the authorities prefer to look the other way. Hell, even government members were already spotted doing it.” Tsukishima said while returning from the kitchen.

“TSUKKI!” Yamaguchi shrieked. “Don’t say this so loud!”

“Well, it is true”

“Guys, focus!” Kuroo jumped in “What the hell is the hunt in the first place?”

Yamaguchi only sighed. Tsukishima looked at the alphas watching them and said in a lower voice.

“Sector C is not what you guys think it is. Other than the old omegas retired from the breeding center and the ones whose mates are dead, and for that can’t keep living on their own in Sector A, there are young omegas there as well.” Tsukishima stopped to see the surprised reactions in the alphas’ faces. “Oh, and before you ask, there isn’t any government assistance either.”

“How do you know all this?” Bokuto whispered concerned. For some reason he was feeling sad for the omegas in that sector, but also afraid for something he did not even knew.

“Sometimes we see black cars in the middle of the night crossing the border and unloading young omegas there. Some of them still using the omega’s school uniform.” Yamaguchi added in a sad tone. “Other times you can see people hiding from police patrol just to ask for food across the fences.”

“Fences!?” Kuroo asked surprised “There are fences dividing the borders?”

“Yeah, it is not a nice border like the one between sectors A and B, where there’s only a checkpoint.” Tsukishima said. “No omega is allowed to leave Sector C, so it’s all surrounded by large and tall fences. There is also constant patrol in the B side of the border.”

“And they ask for food?”

“Yes. My dad told me once, that he heard from an omega at the fence, that there are no markets or jobs in there. The government sends rice and eggs once a month, and only a small truck. I don’t believe there’s enough food in there for all of them.” Yamaguchi said. “We tried to give them food once, but a guard saw us and my brother was beaten in return. He told us to stay away from the fence or else he was going to arrest us all.”

Silence was made once again. The betas were seeing all kind of emotions travel through the alphas’ faces. Kuroo was thinking about how on earth they never heard about that before, and Bokuto was imagining how many omegas were starving while he always eat so much more than necessary.

“I can’t believe you are so surprised.” Tsukishima sighed, “I know it’s cruel, but what did you think that happens to the omegas that aren’t empaths?”

“They go live in the breeding cent-”

“No.” Tsukishima stopped Bokuto’s answer. “The omegas that graduates school and don’t find a mate goes to the breeding center if they are at least at level 1. I’m talking about the level 0.”

Since the alphas remained quiet, Tsukishima continued. “The ones that are not considered good enough are sent straight to sector C. As well as some omegas that present in beta families and represent disgrace to their parents. Lots of them are dragged from their beds by their parents in the middle of the night just to be dumped there. I saw betas paying money for alpha officers at the border, just for them to open the gate and leave the teenage omega there with nothing more than the clothes their wearing.” Tsukishima snarled, “Not everybody are lucky enough to present as their supposed to.”

_And I am not only talking about omegas._

Bokuto was feeling tears prickling at his eyes. Since he was a child he missed someone to be close to him, and at the academy he learned to envy alphas who grew up in a house with at least a parent. Sometimes Kuroo told stories to him from his childhood, leaving him to only imagine how it was like to have parents. He got better after graduation and being assigned to a team that soon became his family.

But to imagine young omegas being dragged out by the parents they love just because they presented different? This felt worse than everything Bokuto struggled with while growing up.

Kuroo himself was becoming sad with everything he was hearing. His parents were so happy when he presented alpha. They threw him a party and said how proud they were. Would it be different if he had presented omega? He did not want to believe that. He knew his parents would love him anyway. Right?

_What about kitten? Would his parents had thrown him in Sector C if I have not called for him when he presented?_

Kuroo did not want to know the answer. He did not want to know anything about this anymore. However, the talk was not over yet.

“And… and what about this hunt?” he swallowed dry.

“The hunt is another sad thing.” Yamaguchi said shaking this head. “And it is even worse because it's not a secret, but no one can do anything about it.”

“I heard from a neighbor that the Hunt started about four or five years ago. Apparently, a group of drunk unmated betas that invaded Sector C and attacked random omegas there initiated it. They started to beat and rape them, and no guard from the beta side went to investigate the screams. When the group was satisfied they left the omegas there and went home.” said Tsukishima “I don't know if anyone died at the time, but the group went back a couple of weeks later.”

“And no one tried to stop them?” Bokuto asked “What about the police?”

“The police didn't care, as long as these things stay away from the rest of the city, they don't do anything.”

“So, more and more betas went there at a time.” Yamaguchi said, “At first only drunks, but when it got clear that the authorities didn't care, people began to go anytime they wanted.”

“You see, it soon become a place where you could do bad things without penalty. Many started to go for sex, drugs and the adrenaline. They could have their fun and feel superior then the omegas they attacked, without caring for mating and children.”

“But the number of people going was concerning the government.” Tsukishima continued. “But at the same time they noticed that the crime rate in the other sectors were lowering, including the already low rates in Sector A. So they created a system. Two times a month the police would allow a group to go inside and go wild there. Once the gates were closed it would only be opened again at dawn, and everyone had to pass through it. It was their way of controlling the area without having to increase the patrol route.”

“But why? Why does people need to be so mean?” Bokuto cried.

Tsukishima sighed. “You know, not everyone has the high status you sentinels have, even among alphas. The ones who did not presented alpha with enhanced senses are doomed to serve and obey others. The frustration created a bunch of savage people out there.”

“But it doesn't justify any of this!” Kuroo exclaimed.

“We know it doesn't.” Yamaguchi said. “We're only telling you the reality about Sector C. People think they can just go inside and subdue an omega to answer to their needs.”

“And since the omegas are scared they flee from the invaders. However, it only made the attack more enjoyable for them, because now there is the adrenaline of hunting their prey. Tsukishima completed. “That's The Hunt. An event where you can conquer and enjoy treating omegas like they were less than human beings.” He finished with distaste.

The alphas were quiet once again. Outside, the streets began to look more crowded, it was a sign that the rush hour was about to begin.

“Kuroo… what if…” Bokuto's voice trembled. “what if they-”

“Bo don't.” Kuroo stopped him “Don't go this path. You'll only make yourself depressed.”

“But what if they're there Kuroo?” he cried.

Kuroo sighed. “Look, we don't know ok? Let's calm ourselves and think about this another time.”

Bokuto was about to argue again when Yamaguchi spoke. “I know it's a lot to take, but you need to be careful about it. There are alphas that go for the hunt too, not only betas. And I heard that powerful people goes for it too.”

“Of course there is.” Tsukishima snarled, “What other reason for the government let it run free this way?”

“And you suggested for us to be a part of it?” Kuroo said.

“I didn't told you to go to the hunt.” Tsukishima countered. “I told you that there are more than old omegas in there. You don't need to be a part of the hunt, but if Bokuto-san is so desperate for his fated mate, they could be somewhere over there.”

They were silent again. The mood in the room was heavy and their meeting time was approaching. Bokuto was a blink away from falling in one of his moods and Kuroo knew they needed to head back before it.

The front door opened and the bell in the top announced the arrival of new customers. Yamaguchi moved to greet them and Tsukishima fixed his posture behind the counter.

“I know you don't want to be a part of it,” he whispered for the both of them “but if there's an omega to mate in there, they’re not safe. And no one else is going to help them.”

Bokuto closed his eyes and shocked his head. Kuroo decided that was time to head back and paid the blond beta.

“Well Tsukki, thank you for the talk.” He said with a half-smile. “It wasn't happy but at least enlightening. See you around.”

“Around here, since I don't have permission to go anywhere else.” Tsukishima said dryly.

“Bye Tsukki. Thank you for telling us.” Bokuto said in a low voice and followed Kuroo to the door and out of the shop.

Tsukishima stood there looking at the door even after the duo left. He was so mad about everything these days, and thinking about the omegas being hunted so close to him left a bad taste in his mouth. He knew his life could be much worse than this if he had been an omega, but the gender was not the one to blame.

It was the system.

He knew they needed to fight the system.

\----------------------------------------------------------

After his shift ended, Tsukishima could finally go home. It has been a rough day. The rush hour kicked in with full force about half an hour after the alphas left. There has been so many customers and some really annoying and demanding ones too, mind you.

The thing is, Bokuto and Kuroo were uncommon alphas. Ever since the three of them met, they always treated each other as equals. Tsukishima met Bokuto still as a child at the school, but the two years age gap did not help their friendship to grow. Years later, they met again at the Owl’s Nest, and this time Kuroo was together.

Bokuto recognized Tsukishima at first sight, which confused the Beta. Since he presented, no alpha was ever kind to him, but Bokuto and Kuroo were not like that. They just wanted to make friends.

So friends they became.

Sadly, they were a rarity. After their shift, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi went as fast as they could to the train station, since they needed to check their IDs at the station at most 15 minutes after checking them while leaving the cafe, and the walk between the two places usually takes at least 10 minutes. Therefore, they had to hurry, which annoyed both of them.

Thankfully, there were not setbacks during their walk, but the alpha guards at the station were being their usual douchebags selves, and picked on every beta that were not walking looking at their feet. It annoyed Tsukishima to no end, but he bit back his tongue when Yamaguchi held his arm to stop him.

He looked at the smaller man at his side and sighed. He did not want his friend to get in trouble, so he let it go. But it was frustrating him to no end. Someday he would act, and no one would be able to hold him back. Alphas of not.

After boarding the train and finding a seat, Tsukishima closed his eyes and sighed internally. It was definitely not a good week for him, and in times like this, he spends too long thinking about running away from the city. Finding a place elsewhere to live as far as he could from this alpha bullshit.

However, even that was complicated. As a city beta, he needed a special permission to leave, along with another one to maintain a residence in the countryside. And to get that, he needed a GREAT motive.

Which he did not have. He just hated to live in an alpha city. An alpha world.

But he could not say it.

“If I ever ask you to leave, would you?” he asked the man beside him.

“Leave what Tsukki? The job?” Yamaguchi asked.

“The city.” Tsukishima said while seeing the entrance to Sector B passing outside the window. “If I ever ask you to leave this place and live somewhere else with me, would you go?”

Maybe at that moment, Tsukishima was not fully considering the real meaning behind his own question. He meant it, though.

Yamaguchi looked at him for a moment and then outside. He was happy with the sudden question, but at the same time confused.

He wanted to say ‘Yes’ at the spot, but the implications about it were too deep. The risk too great.

However, if Tsukishima asked him again he would definitely say it. He would say ‘yes’ without another thought.

Instead, they fell silent. The rest of the trip was filled with so much silent that it made Yamaguchi wonder if he should have answered faster.

Arriving at their station, one of the lasts ones at the beta sector, they stepped out in the streets and headed home. Yamaguchi’s house was closer, and as soon as they got there, Tsukishima broke the silence.

“Someday I will ask you again. Someday when I find a safe way for you and that doesn't put your family at risk.” He said and began to walk waving from his back.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi called out for him. “I will have an answer at the time. I promise.”

Without looking back, Tsukishima started to walk again. Yamaguchi could only see his back disappearing in the darkness along with the second wave he made. But he knew that there was a little smile in the blonde’s face.

He just knew it.

Tsukishima could breathe a tiny bit better in his walk home. He did not like to live in the end of the beta sector, but at least there were not any alpha station in his way home.

Arriving at his building, he heard a car passing fast in the street near him. He looked at it before opening the entrance door. The black SUV passed through the gates of Sector C, and through the fences, Tsukishima could still see it.

The car stopped not far from the entrance, just a bit inside the omega sector when its door opened. A girl was practically shoved out of it and sent to the ground. She could not be more than a teenager, still wearing the omega’s school uniform.

Tsukishima saw the car turn around and leave through the gate once again before disappearing down the road. He looked at the girl one more time, noticing she was crying so hard it made her whole skinny body visibly tremble.

Not even a minute later a young omega boy came running to her and took her in his arms in a gentle hug. Another one, taller than the first approached them and helped guiding the girl further inside the sector.

Tsukishima saw then disappearing into the darkness of the Sector C lightless streets and sighed. That was not right. It was not fair. It made him mad and sad.

He entered the apartment building.

_Someday I will leave. And I will never come back to this hell-hole again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Hey Hey!!! How is everyone doing today?
> 
> Well people, this story is going to deal with serious and important things, so take a look at the tags when you see an update!
> 
> As you might have noticed, I like to write by the character’s perspective, so every time we have someone’s POV, the story will follow the things that the person knows or learn. This way we can see how the same thing can happen differently when we look at it through another’s person eyes!  
> Last chapter we saw how Bokuto’s life was as an alpha, and in this one, we learned about Tsukishima and the beta side of society.  
> Do I need to tell you what is on next chapter? ;)
> 
> Another thing, I am planning to update every Sunday while I have chapters already written. So you guys may have another one coming next weekend!
> 
> Thank you for the comments and kudos! Stay safe and have a nice week!  
> See you!


	4. Omega

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dreams are always important, be they good or bad. They tell us about past and future alike, don’t ignore them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready to know how our omegas lives?
> 
> Grab your tissues…

Fire was surrounding him. Fire, smoke and ashes. Screams and cries all around, making it difficult to know the source.

Or sources.

He looked around with his heart throbbing against his chest. Where was he? Where were his friends? Where was-

His mom.

He suddenly felt much smaller. He was a little lost child in a cacophony of noises and scents, a dread feeling in his heart and tears prickling his eyes. He tried to call for her, but his throat did not produce any sound. He tried again but it came out only a small groan. At his third try, he managed to form his lips in the way to produce a word. Then he stopped.

What was her name?

He knew it. He knew that he knew.

But he could not say it. He could not say it because he was taught not to. They taught him that.

To never say her name, to never speak about her, to never ask about how she looked like.

All he had was her voice. That sweet and caring voice directed only to him remained in the back of his mind just like a lullaby.

_It will be all right. I love you my little Keiji._

And he loved her too. With all his might. Even if he never saw her, never talked to her, neither said her name aloud. Her voice was his only memory, even him being too young to even remember it at the time.

Still, he did.

With tears rolling down his eyes and sobs erupting from his throat, he tried to stand. Fire and smoke still everywhere, making him cry and rub at his eyes. They were stinging and aching.

He put his little hands on the floor to support his tiny body while he tried to make his legs to stop trembling long enough to allow him to stay upright. When he made it, he looked at his hands and they were covered in drops of blood.

Keiji felt new tears roll his chubby cheeks and held his hands together, fidgeting his fingers, a habit he got from his mother, apparently.

He began to walk aimless through the smoke. The air got hotter the more he went, letting his throat dry and making it hard to breathe.

“Mommy?” he cried toward nowhere, since it was all he saw. “Mommy, I'm scared!” he looked around while new tears rolled down only to be dried by a heat wave.

_It will be all right. I love you my little Keiji. -_ Said her voice in his head. And he could just believe it.

He risked more steps toward God knows where when a yell filled his ears and iced his heart. Through flame and smoke, he saw a tall and large shadow growing. He could not see who or what it was, but he knew it was looking right at him.

Suddenly, when the shadow got bigger than anything he had ever seen, it's head pressuring the ceiling, two bright points shined in its head, blinking like bright eyes filled with anger. The more Keiji looked at it, feeling smaller than an insect, brighter it became.

He was terrified.

His legs were trembling and his hands sweating. He could not look neither run away. Fear petrified him in the spot and tears kept rolling.

“Momm-”

“She's not here.” The voice said in a deep frightening tone that sounded more like a growl than anything else. “She's not here and she's never coming back. You are alone and you'll die here alone.”

_I don't want to die. I didn't do anything. I want my Mommy!_

“Why?” Keiji cried. “Where's Mommy?”

The shadow did not answer. It started to move towards him, face becoming larger and sharp fangs appearing through red and yellow flames that now composed its whole body. Keiji could feel its hot breath in him, burning his skin with painful heat. He began to cry again but could feel no tears due to his dried and itching eyes.

The shadow, now in the form of a horned beast with large claws, was getting closer and Keiji could not move. Terrified and in pain, his tiny arms tried to embrace his own body in an attempt to hold himself through his panic. But he was trembling too much, crying too much, hurting too much.

He was too scared. He wanted to flee but his feet were stuck. He could not move. He knew now, even in his child’s brain, that he was going to die. He did not wanted it, but he could not be saved.

Because there were no one there to save him.

“Mommy…” he cried while the beast took fast steps towards him.

“M-Mommy… help…” more cries when the beast rises its claws to strike him down.

“MOMMY!!!”

And right when he was about to be hit and killed, the beast was striked in the head by a fast white light. It was not a bean or a shot, but something was flying around and attacking the beast, succeeding in stopping it meters from the frightened boy.

Then he heard it. It was not a human voice, neither a monstrous growl. It was a soft but also urgent animal noise that snapped Keiji out of his panic and made him look up.

_Cooo! Cooo!_

For a moment, he did not know if he was hearing it with his ears or inside his mind. Just like his mother's voice, this was something that he was more feeling than hearing.

Suddenly he did not feel so tiny anymore. He was no longer a little boy, but a few years older, still a child, but with longer legs to hold him up.

Legs that could run.

He looked up at the white light while it flew around the beast while hitting its head. After every two or three hits, while the beast was too dizzy to shove the light away, it stopped and _cooed_ for Keiji. And it was not just a light now. It was a bird.

It was an owl.

A big, strong and beautiful horned owl. White feathers with black streaks and golden eyes. Sharp claws and long strong wings that created deep noise with the wind that circled around it every time it flapped.

It was gorgeous. It was perfect.

It was looking at him.

Sharp and bright golden eyes filled with longing and authority. The owl circled the beast before hitting it again, immediately screeching at Keiji again, more urgent this time.

“ _Scrreeeecchhhh_!”

Keiji’s eyes widen and he inhaled fast. The air entering his lungs with the oxygen activating his muscles. He could still see the beast and feel its heat. He was still afraid and tired. He still needed to flee.

But he was not alone anymore.

_“Cooo!”_

_I love you my little Keiji._

_Run!_

He ran.

He ducked his head down and took off running for his life. The beast realized it a little too soon for his liking, which made him run faster. Beginning to follow him with the owl in tow still hitting it from time to time, the beast tried to stab him with its spear-like claws, throwing dust and debris every time it hit a wall or the ceiling.

Keiji felt his heart in his throat and the missing air in his lungs. Every time he felt himself losing speed, he heard the owl telling him to run faster. Every time he felt his legs hurting and tiring, he heard the owl telling him to be stronger. Every time he felt panic grow within by a visible dead end ahead, he heard the owl telling him to keep going, because a new way would open to him.

And it always did.

Because he was not alone.

Keiji does not know for how long or how far he ran. Every time he crossed a door or left a hallway another empty and hot room was waiting for him to run through it. The beast kept chasing him, breaking every single obstacle in its way and getting dangerously closer.

Finally, Keiji crossed a door and found himself in a great hall, so large and long that it would take time to run it all the way. Still he ran, because the beast was too close and he could not just die there. This place remembers him of the great halls in all stories about kings and knights, in castles so huge that you could put an entire town inside.

Running through the hall Keiji saw many portraits in the walls, making everything look a lot more like a western fairy tale. He looked at the portraits while still running, surprisingly being able to notice details of every single one of them, because even in his speed it was as if time was slowing down around him.

The portraits had men and women in all shapes and colors. They were standing tall and mighty in a royal way that Keiji could only imagine. They were kings and queens with power and wisdom, even if he did not know any of them personally, that was what it felt like.

Suddenly his attention was drawn back to reality when the beast broke through the wall to the great hall he was in. Somehow, it looked even bigger.

With flames all around its large body and looking absolutely drown in blind rage, the beast stood tall in its full height, casting a shadow that made the enormous hall extremely dark.

Then it roared. So loud and frightening that Keiji's bones suddenly felt cold. The beast began to chase him again in a new bolt of straight and speed, getting closer and closer faster than anything he ever saw.

There was no way out. He still could not see the end of the great hall that only grew longer and longer to all sides, having no doors or walls for him to cross, hide, or even slow the monster down.

There was no escape. Even with him running with all his might, the beast was still catching up to him.

There was no way out.

Even the owl was nowhere to be seen.

“Now you die!” the beast snarled with poison at him. It was too close. With only another step, it was going to reach him.

The huge hand with enormous claws lifted up and got crashing down with such straight that would certainly break him in half. Tears ran down Keiji's face when he realized for sure that this was his end.

This is how he dies. In blood and tears tossed to the corner of a dark and now cold hall.

Alone.

He felt the blow even before the hit. He felt the sharp claw impaling him and blood rushing out of his body. He felt himself hit a wall that surged out of nowhere and then his fall to the ground. He felt his life slipping away and darkness taking over.

He felt it all. And all seemed like forever inside an instant.

However, truly, he felt none of that. Because none of it happened.

The moment the beast would first touch him, he was slightly lifted from the floor and urged to the side. Strong claws sinking in his shoulders and urging him to make a turn in his run and out of the beast's reach.

He was not hit and he did not die. He was now running in his twenty years old self, gaining distance as the beast lost its footing and fell to the ground making everything shakes like an earthquake. But he kept running to the new direction with the owl back to his side. It was the owl's claws that changed his course and saved him from certain death, and he felt nothing but gratitude towards the bird when he looked at it while still running.

The owl met his eyes with golden orbs and they stared at each other for a moment. Keiji felt like he could be lost in those golden eyes for eternity, like that was where he belonged. He was took out of his thoughts when the owl _cooed_ at him again and flew forward faster.

He kept running after the bird, pretty aware that the beast was once again chasing him, only a little farther behind. Then suddenly they begin to reach the end of that side of the room, approaching something else in there.

At the far end, there was a tiny stair with only three steps, and on top of it, there was a platform with a huge and old chair.

A throne.

This was an old throne in a large, old and empty throne room.

Keiji stopped. Everything stopped moving. Silence was absolute and everything was darker, with only the old throne casted in a dull light.

The owl flew out of nowhere and perked itself in the top of the throne, looking straight at Keiji's eyes. Blue met gold and they stared at each other for a second. The owl made a noise that Keiji felt as a call.

"Cooo" - _Come on._

Keiji looked at it without a blink. He could not move or speak. He could hear the owl and understand its wishes, but he could not move.

He was too afraid. He did not want to get closer.

"Coooo… cooo!" - _Don't worry… I'm here!_

He knew that. He knew the owl would not leave him if he chooses to get closer. However, he was scared. There was too much to lose if he chooses to take-

"Cooo" - _It's yours._

_I do not know if I want it._

However, before he could truly decide, the owl opened its wings and left a terrifying screech towards him, but he was too slow to realize the warning, and then the beast's claws slapped him hard, throwing his body violently against the wall in the other side of the room.

And this time he was hit for sure.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 6th - 05:30 am

He woke up screaming.

Jumping off his futon and being tangled in the thin blanked he shared with his friend, for a moment he did not know where he was or what he should do. His screams woke up the boy next him and another one came running into the room.

Keiji was breathing hard, eyes wide when he felt a pair of hands pushing gently at his shoulders to make him sit down again.

"Keiji, hey! Deep breaths, you're okay now."

"Yaku… what?"

"It was just a dream." Yaku Morisuke told him. "You're ok now, calm down and focus on me."

Keiji did that. Slowly he felt his panic fading. Yaku never failed in helping him out of his panic attacks, always there to bring him back after a rough night. They knew each other since forever, Yaku being only a year older, and was already there with his mother when Keiji's mom brought him into this world.

They grew up in this damn hellhole together. They might not be blood, but the smaller boy is the closer thing he has to a brother. His only family left.

Well, maybe not the only one anymore.

"Another nightmare?" A new voice asked from Keiji's left side. He looked at his friend sitting up beside him, the older male, by a few months, gave him a sad smile. "That's the fourth one this week, are you okay?"

"I'm fine now, thank you. Sorry for waking you up Yahaba-san."

"No worries, it was time to wake up already." Yahaba Shigeru said with a yawn while standing from the floor. "And cut the San already, will you?"

"Sorry…" Keiji replied dejected. He knew he was disturbing his friends with his dreams, but he could not fix it. Sometimes he woke them screaming, other times they woke him because he suddenly started crying in the middle of the night. It was exhausting.

"You know he gets extra stiff after a bad dream," Yaku said to Yahaba "don't expect to lose the San until after breakfast." He playfully shoved the other's shoulder while also standing and moving towards the door.

"Do we even have something for breakfast today?" Yahaba asked while folding their blanket and hiding it under a loose plank in the floor. Keiji stood and did the same with their futon.

"I think we can find a way to have some." Yaku responded from the door.

"You don't have to worry about it just because of me." Keiji said in a low voice while following the other two out of the room.

"Don't worry about it. We all should eat better anyway." Yaku responded.

"Hum… wouldn't that be amazing?" Yahaba said full of sarcasm.

It was true, though. Neither of them eat enough. Actually, no one that lives there ever eat enough.

Because they live in Sector C.

They leave their house in silence. Keiji protects his eyes against the early sunlight, thanking every day for at least still be able to see the sun. Because if he ever be caught, well, then he can say goodbye to the sun himself.

The sun and everything else.

Their house was one big old-fashioned one. Made basically of wood, with what could have been a beautiful garden with a pond a long time ago. Very traditional. But also very old and abandoned.

Like everything in this sector.

Still they lived there. It was a little far from the fences and the gate, but that was what kept them safe.

Sector C was a place where the outcast lived. People that no one wanted to care for.

Omegas.

Old ones from the breeding center or former alpha mates, middle-aged ones that were considered level 0 in their teen’s years, young ones tossed there from either the omega school or their old beta homes. Or even the youngest ones of all, babies and toddlers that were born there after their mothers got pregnant while being victims of the Hunt.

Keiji hated the Hunt. They all did.

As if it wasn't enough that they were considered the lowest level of society, casted aside with no food, water or proper shelter, now they needed to run for their lives too?

Well, not that this was a first for him. He needs to hide to stay alive since day one. But now it is worst, because they never know when the Hunt will start, and more than once they were too close to the sector's gate looking for food when it started.

And that was too risky, too dangerous. He could die, could be raped, or worse... he could be found.

So when this happens, he runs. He runs faster than any alpha that already tried to pursue him, hides better than anyone can image he is capable of, never being caught and never leaving his friends behind. He had to play the bate more than once, and Yaku always yells at him because of it, but it is for a good cause.

It is for family.

And that is what they are. Family.

It was only him, Yaku and Yaku's mother at first. She taught them how to hide from betas, alphas and omegas alike. To never trust anyone completely. To always protect one another. And when she died from a bad cold that could have been dealt with if they had access to a hospital, they were left alone.

At least until Yahaba came by.

He was tossed there in the age of 13 when he presented omega. He grew up in a beta family with his parents and three siblings, but when that day came, he was yanked out of his bed, still in the middle of his first heat, and left inside of the sector C's gate by his father and older brother.

It was the beginning of the evening that day, and Keiji and Yaku saw it all. They were looking for food in an alley between the first roll of buildings at the beginning of the sector when they heard the gate opening and a car running inside. The driver’s door opened violently and a man stomped out of the car, going straight to the back door and opening it with so much rage that Keiji thought it was going to be ripped off. He yelled something and then dragged a young boy out of the car and threw him at the street.

Yahaba was only 13 years old when his father threw him off the car and left him crying in panic in the streets of sector C. The man went back to his seat and the car went away to never be seen there again. The omega teen remained there crying in despair, looking at the crowd that began to form due to the commotion.

He was terrified, shaking like a leaf while the tears never stopped streaming down his face. An old woman tried to get near him when he felt the pain of another heat wave punching him in the guts. He left a loud cry and everyone’s eyes widened.

“He’s in heat!” someone in the crowd said, “The smell will attract someone from the fence!”

And that was enough to make everyone run to hide somewhere among the buildings. If a beta or alpha caught the sent from an omega in heat, the risk of them invading the sector to violate the poor creature was high, and then everyone else inside could become a target as well.

It happened more than once before.

However, that did not mean that the poor omega should be left there alone. And even in the young age of 12, Keiji knew that this was not right.

“Can we help him?” He asked Yaku in a low voice, looking at his older friend with hope in his eyes.

“I don’t think we should.” Yaku said like a whisper, but Keiji heard him anyway. They knew that it was dangerous. His mom always told him to never trust anyone, never let his guard down, to protect Keiji and himself all the time, to-

Yahaba made another loud noise and the scent of distress hit Yaku like a brick. Without even realizing, he ran to the younger male and kneeled by his side.

“Hey, it’s ok, I’m Yaku and I’m going to help you.”

“Get away from me! Leave me alone!” Yahaba cried trying to push Yaku away.

“If you stay here like this you’ll be attacked! Is that what you want!?”

Yahaba flinched under the hard tone in Yaku’s voice and cried harder. He could not understand what was happening. Why he was there and why his body hurt so much. Why his father was so angry and why he was tossed in the last place he ever wanted to set feet on.

“We’re gonna help you. Here, you can have my candy.” Keiji said to him, extending him the half-wrapped candy that Yaku found for him in the trash not 10 minutes ago.

Yahaba looked at them both, taking the small and thin bodies that were beside him. He was taller and for sure had more meat in his bones than the other two, even that they could not be much younger than him. He looked back at Yaku and accepted the hand that the other was offering to help him stand.

“Please, promise you won’t hurt me?” he asked, ashamed of himself for being such a coward, but he remembers stories that his grandfather told him about the bad omegas locked at sector C.

“Pfft… if anything, I should be asking you that.” Yaku responded while helping him of the ground and starting to walk back to the buildings. “Keiji, put our bag around your neck and shoulder and don’t let anyone take it from you. We need a place to hide.”

“We’re not going home?” Keiji asked while doing as he was told.

“We don’t have time. It is almost nightfall and it takes an hour walk back to the house. And he can’t walk this far.” Yaku said, “We need a place to hide while we wait for his heat to pass.”

“I’m in heat?” Yahaba asked in a whine, another wave hitting him strong.

“You don’t even know that?” Yaku asked surprised “You definitely is. Don’t worry, I presented half year ago, so I know it is hurting like hell. But I also know that you’ll be okay, so don’t pass out on me right now.”

They managed to walk to an alley two blocks away from the gate where they found the back door of an old and abandoned restaurant. They slept there for the next 3 nights while hiding from wandering people, and for lucky they were not found by a couple of beta drunkers that invaded the sector on their last night there.

They talked a lot and Yahaba cried for hours when Yaku told him that he was tossed there because his family was ashamed of him and would never come back for him. He knew it. He heard stories before. However, he never thought that his own loving parents would be capable of doing that to him.

After his heat passed, he was lost. He did not know where to go or what to do. He did not know how to survive there like the other two. Even Keiji, that he learned that was only 12 due to his birthday being in december, could be more useful than him.

Yaku knew that too, and once more he was debating against his better judgment. He had helped Yahaba in the spur of the moment, but now he needed to think with his brain. Yahaba was a risk that he could not have. After all, he needed to keep Keiji safe.

_Be smart so you can stay alive. Trust no one and always keep Keiji safe!_ \- His mother’s voice echoed in his mind. He needed to be smart about this. His mission needed to come first.

_Keiji needs to come first!_

“Do you want to come home with us Yahaba-san?” once again Keiji beat him up first. The youngest of the three asked with more certainty then any of them could muster at the moment.

“But…” Yahaba said, knowing pretty well that Yaku was not liking this option. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a trouble to you.”

Keiji frowned “But you don’t have a home to go back.” he said with every drop of innocence a child in this kind of place can have left. “You can come and have a home with us.”

Yahaba looked at Yaku with tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Keiji was only a few months younger than he was, but he could be both more mature and innocent alike. Yaku knew that too, and the kindness that Keiji could show to anyone was something that Yaku was both proud and afraid of.

“Come with us,” Yaku told Yahaba “we already saved you once, sharing a roof might not be so bad after all.”

Yahaba thanked them both while tears streamed down his face. Keiji smiled and went to grab the bag he was using as a pillow so they could go hunt for food and then get home. However, as soon as he turned his back from the other two, Yaku grabbed Yahaba’s shirt and yanked him forward and inches from his own face.

“You are coming with us,” he said in a threatening voice “but if you ever even think about hurting or robbing us, if you ever hurt Keiji, I will kill you on the sight! Is that clear?”

Fear was everything Yahaba felt at that moment. Yaku was serious and he saw it. He nodded fast and promised that he would never try to hurt any of them. Yaku let him go before Keiji could see anything. Together they went back in the streets and then walked towards the inner ward of sector C, where the older and more traditional houses were.

This was seven years ago. 

Even if it had took almost a year for Yaku to completely trust Yahaba, he eventually did. For a change, it was good to have someone else to help when things gets rough, someone else to talk and to cry to. Someone else to care for.

Feel their family grow. Being three once again.

And so they lived together for all these years, surviving and protecting one another. Their home was located in the inner ward because they were somehow safer there. Well, at least as safe as they can be in this sector.

The ward near the gate was a business one before the military coup, and because of that, it was a place full of buildings and alleys. Few people lived in the inner ward, since there was basically no food there, because on the rare days when the government sent a truck with some food to the sector, it never passed the first row off buildings.

So people prefers to live in the buildings, even if it's more dangerous due to the proximity to the border and the invaders from the other side, only to be closer to the entrance when the food is tossed inside and everyone runs to grab as much as they can.

Therefore, the inner ward is more secluded. Other than the three boys, there is also a house in their neighborhood where a bunch of old people lives together. Most are very old and sick, some cannot see or walk, so the place is like a rest home, although the condition is as bad as everywhere else is. There is a young woman that lives there too, and she basically tends to them alone, so the boys try to stop by and bring food to them whenever they can.

There is where they are going right now. They first go to the backyard of their house and wait to make sure that they are not being watched, when they are comfortable enough, Yaku kneels beside a bush and fishes a chest from a hole in the ground beneath it. He opens it and finds a piece of bread and a bag of rice, taking both things and putting the chest back in its place. He puts the rice in his bag and gives the bread towards Keiji.

“Are you sure?” Keiji asks without motioning to grab it “It’s our last one, I don’t want to eat while the elders have none. We can try to find something else in the city.”

“I know we can, but you need to eat too. It’s been two days since we ate something, and your nightmares only get worse when you’re hungry.” Yaku tells him “Beside, I’m giving the last rice for Suzumeda-san to cook for them, at least until we come back.”

“Do you think that the government will send a deliver soon?” Yahaba asked while taking the bread from Yaku’s hand and breaking it in three pieces, “It’s been a while since they sent a truck.”

“I believe they will. It has been almost two months since the last truck came with rice, so they might send something soon. That’s why I want us to spend at least a couple of nights in the city to try gather something.” Yaku said while taking his share of the bread and eating it before looking straight at Keiji. “Don’t make me shove it down your throat. Eat.”

Keiji took it from Yahaba’s hand and ate the bread. It was tasteless, but it made him feel somewhat better. He learned to live with his hunger just like anyone else in there, but sometimes he truly miss the taste of something other than old bread and dirty water. They try to have a stash of rice for emergency, fighting for at least a bag of it when the government truck arrives every couple of months or so, but even when they get rice, they try to only cook some of it no more than two or most three times a week.

However, they cannot complain much. At least they are still young and capable of fighting for their food in the city, which is not the case of the old and sick people near their house.

“Good morning Suzumeda-san.” Yaku complimented while walking towards her in the front of her house. “We brought you the last bag of rice, please try to make it last for at least the next couple weeks.”

Suzumeda Kaori was a 19 year old omega girl that, just like Yahaba, was abandoned in Sector C by her family when she presented at the age of 14. The three boys were not near the gate when it happened, but they heard that she was walking down the street near their house when one of the elders saw her and gave her shelter for the night. She had been starving and wandering for a week since the day she was tossed there and had her clothes stolen from her by other omegas in the sector. She was found wearing only an oversized t-shirt that she found in the trash, full of holes and barely covering her thighs, and was rushed inside where the elders gave her their last portion of rice.

She was so grateful that she cried all night, and in the morning, she asked if she could stay there a little longer to at least return the favor. Now five years later, she is the only one there to attend and care for these people that she consider her new family, and she made friends with the three boys that found her in the house a week after her arrival. In the beginning, Yaku was not found of the idea, but the elders said that they wanted her there, and they left it like that. Now the four of them are friends, and also the only people in the whole sector that they even trust.

“Thank you Yaku-san and good morning to you three.” she answered with a smile, stopping wiping the entrance floor to grab the bag from Yaku’s hand. “Are you going to the city?”

“Yes we are.” Yahaba said “Might stay there for a while to wait for the food to be delivered through the gate.”

“Tossed you mean.” Yaku scoffed.

“Anyway, we’re going.” Akaashi said dejected “Are you guys going to be alright for a couple of days?”

“Yeah, I think we can manage it.” Kaori told him with a small smile “This rice will help for sure. We ate our last bag yesterday.”

“Ok, good. We will try to bring more after-"

Yaku was cut out when the door to the house opened and an old woman stepped out in the porch.

“Is that my beautiful boys that I hear?” the woman said. She was about 70 years old, a rarity in a place where people died mostly before fifty. Short and skinny, hair almost all gray and could not even see much anymore, but still walked to them with that warm smile on her face. She was the one that found Kaori walking down the sidewalk outside her house, she was also the first to give Yaku’s and Keiji’s mothers a place to hide when they arrived there 20 years ago, one with a baby and the other pregnant. Hana was her name, and that is all she ever told them about herself.

“It’s us Obaa-san, good morning.” Keiji smiled at her and went to take her hand to help her sit down on a chair. “How are you doing these days?”

“Good as always, thank you dear.” And that was always the answer. Does not matter how hungry or tired she was, her smile was always there to tell them that everything was okay. “But how are you Keiji? I feel you are sad.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry. It was just a nightmare.”

“ANOTHER nightmare, you mean.” Yaku said from afar and Keiji glared at him, although the other did not care much about it.

“Well,” Hana continued, getting the boys attention back to her, “dreams are always important, be they good or bad. They tell us about past and future alike, don’t ignore them.”

“I won’t. I wish you well obaa-san, be safe until we come back.” Keiji says as he kisses her hand and stand back up to leave with the other two. Hana bid them goodbye and Kaori asks them to be careful and not worry about them.

The boys wave to other elders that watched them from the windows of the house and start their walk to the more crowded area of the sector. Although they know that the inner ward is safer then the front gate ward, or as they call, the city, they still worry for the others. You never know when someone could walk there and try to rob and hurt people for nothing, and Kaori was alone with old and sick people, which it would be impossible for her to protect everyone if they were to be attacked.

However, there was no choice, they needed to find food and maybe new clothes and blankets. Kaori have a hidden garden in her backyard where she tries to grow some vegetables, but it is almost winter now, so they really need to find something else to storage for the next month or so.

“I’m having a bad feeling about this.” Yaku said looking up at the sky.

“What? Getting cold feet now?” Yahaba shoved him and then jumped to the side laughing when Yaku tried to kick him.

“No, you idiot. I am just saying that we need to keep our guards up, that is all. Something is going to happen and I don’t like it, we need to stay sharp.”

“Aye aye, captain! We’re always sharp!” Yahaba said.

Keiji was quiet listening to his friends bickering. He looked forward down the street he was walking when he caught sight of a bird in one of the trees ahead. It was big with white feathers and black streaks, golden eyes fixed at Keiji while tilting its head to the side. It suddenly took flight and flew away ahead the same direction the boys were following, disappearing in the distance.

_Yeah…_ Keiji thought. _Something will definitely happen._

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

They had a system. Actually, they learned to have a system.

Every time they arrive at the city they put some distance between one another, never walking too close, neither too far, always being close enough to hear each other if someone shouts for help, but also in opposite sideways so that people might see and think they are alone.

They did that for two reasons. For one, it was faster to look for supplies if they look separately, covering more ground this way. And two, they learned that every time a group of people are seem together, others might think that they have some kind of a community of sorts, which means they would probably have things worth stealing. It happened before, and they do not want to be followed home again.

Therefore, while Keiji looked inside the lobby of an old building, Yahaba was in the alley to his side and Yaku on the sidewalk across the street. They move from place to place in different pace, never meeting but also never missing where the other two are. They search for a few hours until they find themselves nearing the fences at the border of the sector, only a few meters from the gate. Yaku and Keiji find Yahaba crouched behind a dumpster, hiding from anyone's view.

“So, anyone got lucky? I found nothing.” he said.

“Nothing. Don’t think I ever seen dumpsters so clean before.” Keiji answered.

“Well, I found a can of tomato sauce, but it is so old that I don't think it’s safe to eat anymore.” Yaku said dejected.

“Damn… we’re gonna die.” Yahaba whined.

“Don’t say that!” Yaku scolded “Not even kidding. We are going to be okay, just need to look more. We searched all the east blocks, let’s go west now.”

Keiji remained silent while Yahaba complained a little more and Yaku scolded him. He looked to the gate in time to see a truck approaching and parking on the sideway outside.

“Hey, does that sound familiar?” he asked the other two, efficiently stopping the bickering.

“Hell yeah! It’s our delivery!” Yahaba almost jumped out of the alley.

“Wait!” Yaku grabbed him to make him sit back down. “It’s parked outside, maybe they’re not planning on entering right now?”

“WHAT!?” Yahaba shout-whispered “They can’t just keep our food there so we can just see it! I’m hungry!”

“I think that’s exactly what they’re doing.” Keiji said, “Usually they just open the gate and throw everything off the truck so they can go back faster. Now they parked. Maybe to catch our attention?”

“Whatever they are planning, we are not rushing into the unknown.” Yaku said, “Let’s keep watching until they come inside. We go there once we realize it’s really food that they’re bringing.”

“Or run for our lives if they’re planning something else.” Yahaba completed.

“Yeah… there’s that too.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost noon when they saw the truck park outside the sector gate. In time more and more people noted, and the street began to get crowned. A couple of men decided to be brave enough, or dumb enough in Yaku’s opinion, to get near the fence and ask a guard if the food was going to be delivered soon. First they were ignored, and in a second try they had to run, because another officer began to shoot up to the sky to scare everyone.

People hid in alleys and lobbies, but no one went very far. They all knew that at some point that truck was going to enter the sector and then only the ones closer to the place would be successful in getting something.

“Man… with this much people waiting well be lucky if we manage to get to smell the food.” Yahaba said. “This will be a bloodbath once that truck get inside.”

“I don’t like this.” Yaku reasoned, “They never waited for this long. Either they’re toying with us, or they’re planning something.”

“Maybe they’re waiting for more people to gather here.” Keiji said.

“For what? They never cared before! It’s not like we’re going to steal everything for ourselves anyway.”

“Not us, but there are people who does exactly that, Yahaba-san.”

“True.” Yaku said again, “I think Keiji is right, they’re waiting for a crowd. Just not for the sake of sharing, though.”

They got silent once again. They saw people coming and going, some hiding like them, others going back to their shelters in the middle of the city. Others began to get impatient and tried to get to the gate again, only to be yelled at and threatened. Things got out of control when a man cursed at an alpha officer and he threatened to get inside to "deal with your omega ass".

That set everyone in panic and people began to scream and run away. The alpha officer got mad because he could not open the gate in time and began shooting from the other side of the fence. Apparently, no one was shot, but fear rapidly rivaled the hunger and people stood away from the gate.

Hours passed and the sun began to set, being early november, it meant it was going to get cold where they were hiding.

"We need to find a place to sleep." Yaku said. "We can't stay here all night, we'll freeze."

"Do what you want, I'm not letting that truck out of my sight." Yahaba said.

"Don't be stupid! They are not entering anytime soon. Driver's not even inside it!" Yaku responded.

"Maybe we can stay inside that video store near the second street," Keiji said before his friends started another argument, “there are big windows there from where we can see the gate. If they open it, we can get here in time to get something."

"Fine! But as soon as they open it I'm running back." Yahaba said standing up.

Yaku sighed but sad nothing. The three of them got to the store and prepared for a night of watching. They decided to take turns and sleep while they could, Yahaba getting the first shift since he was being stubborn.

After the sunset, it was Keiji's turn. He seated himself near the window and watched the gate. Nothing much had changed since he went to sleep, only the night guards arriving for their shift while the lights of sector B started to light up.

That was another thing Keiji was curious about. He lived in Sector C since birth, and there they did not have electric power, so no night light for them. Keiji always wondered how it would feel like to have light even during nighttime. Yahaba told him that it was better and safer, because you could always see if someone was following you during night.

However, darkness was everything he knew about night. He didn't hated it, sometimes the moon even appeared if they had a clean sky, and darkness allowed the silver light of the moon to be even prettier. But sometimes during his nightmares, he missed a source of light.

He craved it.

Just as that thought entered his mind, he felt something catch his attention. Outside the window, perked in a darkened street light, there was it.

The horned owl.

_What are you doing here?_

This were no place for a creature as beautiful as this. Deep down Keiji knew that the bird could not be real. There was no way this bird was here looking at him. He asked himself if he was dreaming again.

_Dreams are important. Do not ignore them._ \- Hana's voice echoed in his mind.

Keiji did not realize that he had walked out of the store his friends were sleeping in until he felt the cold night wind hit his face. He knew that he should go back inside and keep watching the streets so that he and his friends could remain safe. But right when he was about to turn back inside-

"Cooo?"

Gold met blue when Keiji looked back at the owl tilting its head to the side to analyze the boy better.

"Cooo?"

"What is it?" Keiji asked, "What do you want from me? I don't have food for you."

_Nice Keiji, now you talk to birds in the middle of the night. Well done, Yaku will be so proud!_

While Keiji was being sarcastic to himself the owl ruffled its feathers and flew in his direction, perking itself in a dumpster beside him.

"Coooo!?"

Keiji chuckled. "Aren't you a creep little thing?"

The owl screeched as if personally offended by the human. "COOO!!"

"Oh god, I am talking to a bird, aren't I?" Keiji smiled despite his tone. He reached his hand slowly, and after sniffing it, the owl reached it with its head to be pet.

Keiji felt the soft head under his palm and his smile grew larger. He was petting a dream owl, how cool was that? Somehow, his heart got lighter and he could breathe better, the cold wind was not freezing him anymore and he actually felt happy for a while.

But suddenly a loud sound echoed in an alley nearby and Keiji jumped scared. He went to look by the corner and saw a drunk man stumbling through garbage bags. He knew he should get back inside, otherwise Yaku was going to kick him for sure.

Then the owl flew to his shoulder and stood there, first looking at the same man Keiji was looking, and then back to the boy.

"Cooo!"

“Yeah, drunk. Aren’t you a little too smart?”

“Cooo!” the owl said again while flapping its wings a little. One hits Keiji right in the face, while the other was sort of pointing in the direction of the border fence.

“Maybe not that smart…” Keiji said and the owl screeched again. “That’s the border fence of the sector. I can’t go there, it’s not safe!”

He turned and began to walk back to the door to the store. The owl looked not so pleased with that and began to peck his head hard.

“Ouw ouwch… what the hell?” Keiji tried to catch the owl to make it stop, but the bird flew out of his reach and kept pecking his head and pulling his hair. Then when Keiji told it to stop, the owl screeched and flew toward the fence.

“Wait! It’s dangerous!” He said while running after it. He did not know why he was so worried about the bird flying away from the sector, it was probably for the best, but at the same time, he did not want it to go away.

_Please stay with me._

The owl landed itself on top of the fence and waited for Keiji to follow. He approached slowly, looking at all sides to see if any guard was in patrol on the other side.

“Come back, or go away! If you stay here someone is going to shoot or eat you.” Keiji told the bird.

“Cooo?”

“Yeah, I’m serious. Fly away to somewhere safe. Go back to your family, find yourself a mate! Just don’t stay out in this sector, it really is dangerous for you.” Keiji said feeling tears blur his vision. He actually did not want the bird to go.

_Come home with me. Let me go home with you._

“Cooo!” the owl rocked up and down while somewhat pointing with its wing towards the other side of the fence.

“Sector B? Are you from sector B?

“Cooo?” the owl tilted its head again.

“Sec… Sector A then?” Keiji swallowed feeling sad. He never saw anything outside the fence. Sector A was like a fairy tale to him.

“Coooo!!!” The owl jumped up and down happily.

“Oh. Then you must be the pet of some rich alp-”

“KEIJI!!!” - Yaku’s voice echoed in the quiet night and scared Keiji out of his skin. “The hell you are doing here! I was scared as hell!”

“Yaku-san, lower your voice please.” Keiji asked when his friend rushed to his side.

“I will yell at you as much as I want you asshole! What are you doing here alone?”

“I was trying to get the owl someplace safe!”

“Owl? What owl Keiji?”

“This ow-” he looked up just to realize that the owl was nowhere to be seen. Vanished in thin air like a dream, no sounds made.

_No goodbyes._

“I… I’m sorry…” he said slowly, looking back at his friend. “Sorry, I must have been dreaming.”

Yaku looked at him, anger replaced by worry.

“Are you feeling alright Keiji? You need to talk to me if you are feeling ill or something.”

“I’m alright Yaku-san, I promise.”

“Why are you using the ‘San’ with me now?”

“I -

However, he did not have the time to finish because a huge SUV threw itself inside the sector as soon as the gate opened for it. The noise of its tires so loud that both boys threw themselves on the floor to hide in the darkness. The car stopped for a few seconds before the door was opened and a young girl tossed out of it. She hit the floor hard and began to cry with her whole body shaking like a leaf. The door behind her closed and the car was out, the gate closed back again.

For a moment there, Keiji and Yaku were petrified on the floor, but when the girl’s cries reached their ears, they did not think twice. Yaku got himself up and ran towards the girl, kneeling by her side and engulfing her in a tight hug.

“Shhh… shhh. It’s ok, you’re okay!” he said to her while she cried harder, clenching her fists in his shirt without a thought.

“Come on, let’s go!” Keiji said approaching then and helping Yaku and the girl out the floor. “We need to get her back before they start shooting at us.”

They went back to the store to find a pissed off Yahaba waiting for them.

“The hell were you!?” He screamed at Keiji. “Do you know how scared I was when Yaku told me you were missing!? Where have you been? Who is she?”

“Shut up Yahaba! You’re scaring her!” Yaku yelled at him.

“Calm down you both, please.” Keiji said, “I’m sorry for leaving Yahaba, I don’t know what got into me.”

“You better be sorry you asshole. Don’t do that again!” Yahaba said while engulfing Keiji in a hug and lefting a deep breath. Keiji did not miss his trembling arms and loud heartbeat. “Now, who is she?” he asked in a lower tone.

“She was just tossed out of a car in front of the gate.” Yaku responded sadly while rubbing the girl’s back.

“Dammit!” Yahaba said while putting his hands in his hair. That just hit too close to home.

“I’m… I’m sorry… please, I’m so sorry…” the girl cried to them, eyes shut tight while tears kept streaming down her face.

“Shhh… there’s nothing to be sorry about. We’re not mad at you”

She cried harder and they let her. It took a few minutes for her to be able to breath slower again, and Keiji passed her an old bottle with some water they had left. She drank some and thanked then even more.

“Now, can you tell us your name?” Yaku asked the girl with what Yahaba says its his ‘mom tone’.

“Y-Yachi… Yachi Hitoka.” she said.

“Well, that’s a pretty name. Nice to meet you Yachi-san, my name is Yaku Morisuke, and these are Yahaba Shigeru and Keiji.”

“Nice- nice to meet you.” she said somehow calmer. She was still scared, but the boys around her did not look like bad people.

“Are you from Sector B Yachi-san? Were that your family that brought you here?” Keiji knew that it was a little insensitive of him to ask that right now, but the faster they get this part sorted out, the better will be for her.

“No… that-” she took a deep breath. “They were employees from the school. I’m from the omega school”. She told them with fear in her voice. She did not know if they knew about the school, or what it meant for her to be tossed here.

“Hum… thought as much, you’re still in your uniform.” Yahaba said with a nod.

“Damn bastards.” Yaku said, “What did you even do to deserve to be treated like that?”

“I… I’m not an empath anymore…” she said with new tears in her eyes.

For a moment they said nothing and Yachi was starting to be nervous again. She did not know what happened. In the morning she was a level 2 omega, but then… then she was nothing anymore.

“Not an empath anymore?” Yaku asked, “That’s stupid, there is no such thing.”

“What?” She looked at him startled.

“There is not.” He said again “You don’t just stop being something, you are what you are.”

“Maybe we should let her tell us what happened.” Keiji said, always the voice of reason and diplomacy. “I mean, if you’re ok with that, Yachi-san.”

She looked at him and then at the other two. Her hands were fidgeting with each other when she took a deep breath to tell her story.

“I was… today was my graduation in the omega school.” she began, “I was one of the six level 2 omegas on my class that were going to be shown to the alpha sentinels to be picked as a mate.”

“Damn bastards-"

“Shhh! Shut up and don’t curse near children!” Yaku scolded Yahaba.

“You just did the same a while ago!” he countered.

“Shhhh!”

Yachi smiled at the bickering and Keiji realized that she was going to be fine. His friends have this effect on people.

“Well I… I was there to be picked up. That’s what I was taught to do. Be the mate of a sentinel.” she continued “But no one chose me, so the procedure is to go back to test my level of empathy again and wait for the next group of alphas to come.”

The boys were becoming extremely mad at the story. They knew the kind of role that the omegas had to endure in the sentinel world, and they did not liked it.

“But when I went to do the tests again I… I was so nervous because I was not chosen. I was the only one left behind! Even my friend was picked, and I was left alone there.” She began to cry again. “But I went to do the tests, and nothing happened! I could not do anything with my mind anymore, and I used to do it well. I was a level 2, I swear!”

She reached forward crying again and Yaku hugged her to his chest.

“They said that I was a failure and that was the reason no alpha wanted me. They said I was nothing more than a level 0 now!” she cried “And them they called for a car to bring me here and I'll never go back to my friends again!”

Yaku hugged her for dear life while tears kept flowing through her face. No one spoke anymore until she calmed down enough for another drink of water. After that, they decided to let her rest, finding a corner for her to be as much comfortable as she could.

“Let’s get back to sleep, tomorrow we decide what to do.” said Yahaba.

“Agreed. Maybe Kaori would be happy to have a friend to help her at the house.” Yaku said, “Keiji, you get to sleep too, I’ll keep watch for now.”

“It's still my turn. I’m not going outside again, you know!” Keiji countered.

“I don’t care. Go to sleep!”

“Come on baby bird,” Yahaba said while pulling his wrist “don’t want to get mommy even more worked up, right?”

_Baby bird. Oh, the irony._

Keiji was not happy, but complied anyway. He was in fact tired, and sleep came to him as soon as he let his body relax. He did not have nightmares that night, just dreams of a great horned owl cooing at him while flying in a sky painted with the rays of the sun.

_____________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey, Hey!!!  
> Hello to you all and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely boy, Akaashi’s star and Japan’s best Ace! Bokuto Koutarou!!
> 
> About the chapter…  
> As I hope it got clear, this one happens at the same day the previous two. And so it’ll be the next one, because things just started to happen all around and we need to see the situation for lots of angles!  
> Next chapter will have multiple POVs, so buckle up! Things are about to get serious!
> 
> I realized that I really like to know what people are thinking about the story… I literally kept opening Ao3 all the time this past week to see if someone had left a new comment. Even if I get them in my email every time it happens!  
> Please, feed me! And Thank you so much for everyone who already commented and let kudos!
> 
> Everyone stay safe and I’ll be back next week!


	5. Sentinel Division IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Then he felt it.
> 
> He felt it in the back of his mind, growing stronger by the second. Felt it in his heart and followed it with his own soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said it would be a multi-POV chapter, but I was thinking about the next one, sorry.
> 
> This chapter is the end of the same day we've been seeying the past three weeks.
> 
> But hey, KuroKen!

November 6th - 11:50 am

Kozume Kenma was a man of few words and even fewer motivations. He did not want to do or interact much with the rest of the world, after all, it was not a good world for him. He had obligations that he did not want, rules that he did not agree and duties he did not like.

However, he had to do it all. He just had to. He did not have a choice.

Because he was an omega.

And being an omega meant to obey. Obey the rules, obey alphas and even betas, obey the army and the government, obey his mate.

His mate.

His mate was probably the only thing that Kenma liked about being an omega. He did not know what would be of him if it weren’t for his alpha.

He still remembers the night he presented omega at 14 years old. He was at home doing his homework late after dinner, since obviously, he was playing in his switch earlier, and now he needs to finish his work for the beta school due to the next morning, and Kuroo would be disappointed if he let his grades down.

_That nerd_. He scoffed - _Hope he is doing all right in the alpha academy._

He was happy for his friend really. Kuroo deserved it. He was an amazing guy who deserved more than a shit job in Sector B. He deserved to see the world and be part of great things. He deserved a mate who would give him children and keep him safe.

Mate.

Yeah. Eventually Kuroo would find his mate. He was training to be a sentinel, so there is no way that he would not find himself an omega. He needed one. That is the only way for him to be safe, but-

_But I miss him._

Kuroo was his friend since forever and he actually did not know how to live without him. Ever since Kuroo presented as an alpha and moved to the academy, they did not see each other again. It has been more than a year, and he only got a few letters from his friend. He wrote him that things were tough but nice where he was, and he was not allowed to write letters that much, so that is why so few had come.

However, he missed him too, and in Kenma's birthday he sent him the switch as a present. He bought it with his first allowance as a sentinel in training, and Kenma was so happy with the gift that he treasured it with all his might.

But he still missed his friend. He wanted to see-

A pain suddenly erupted through his body and he grumbled loudly. Everything was starting to hurt and the temperature rised fast in his room. He became dizzy and sweat started to run from his forehead.

He did not know what was going on, so he decided to go to his parents’ room to ask for help, but as soon as he stood from his chair, he realized that his legs were too weak to hold himself up. He left out a scream during his fall, in part because of the scare, but also from the wave of pain that cut through his middle.

His parents must have heard the noise, because seconds later, his door was being opened and the two betas rushed inside his room. His mother kneeled by his side while his father was about to do the same when they both felt the sweet smell.

"What…?" His father whispered.

"Kenma? What's going on?" His mother echoes and silence followed until another wave of pain made him whine again. "Oh GOD, are you in-

His father cut her speech by grabbing her upper arm and dragging her outside, closing the door violently. They began to argue outside in a tone that made Kenma's blood freeze and his panic double. What was happening to him? Why were his parents fighting instead of helping him? Why was his mother crying that it wasn't her fault? Why was his father yelling that this was a disgrace to the family?

He began to cry like never before. His whole body hurting and shaking. He tried to get up again just to have another fall.

_Kuro… Kuro, please…_

Several minutes passed with him lying on the ground of his room. His head was so foggy and his body so hot that he could not realize at the moment, what was being said outside his room. Later he would remember to hear his father saying that he was going to drop him somewhere, while his mother would cry over some kind of excuse to be said at his school in the morning.

Then he felt it.

He felt it in the back of his mind, growing stronger by the second. Felt it in his heart and followed it with his own soul.

_Kitten?_

There it was. Like it has always been. Like it never left.

His voice.

Instant relief streamed through his mind and body. He could feel Kuroo's mind connecting to his own. Felt how the alpha reached for him and he responded immediately, as if he was drowning in the ocean until a hand broke the surface and the waves to catch his wrist. He held to that feeling until he managed to respond with his own mind.

_Kuro? I'm scared._

_What is happening Kitten? Are you okay? Why is it all dark? Why can't I see you?_

_I… I don't know… but I missed you._

_I miss you too. I want you here kitten._

_I…_

And he was cut out of his thoughts by another pain cutting through his body. He could hear Kuroo's cries for him inside his head, could feel the other's panic like it was his own. But he could not answer anymore. Hurt too much and he knew he was losing conscience.

The last thing he heard was the front door of his house being violently open, before everything turned into darkness.

He woke up in a bright white room that he knew it was not his. His body was heavy but the pain almost gone. He still felt a little sore all over, but at least he could move his body without yelling in pain.

He stood from the bed to find out where he was. There were other beds, like an infirmary, too many for a room so small actually. From his bed, he could reach the other one nearby, not fitting even a nightstand between them.

Luckily, he was alone at the moment. He went to the door to see if he could get out, only to find it locked. He found another door inside the room, this one leading to a small bathroom with only a toilet, a shower and a small sink. Everything much closer to one another than he would have enjoyed. He looked at the shower and then to himself, only now noticing that he was still in his clothes from before the pain he felt. He could feel the dried sweat in his skin, suddenly really craving for a shower.

However, before he could do anything the main door opened and he heard someone entering the room. He stuck his head outside the bathroom with caution, seeing an older male in front of the beds.

"There you are. The hell you doing?" The man said harshly making him flinch immediately. The tone of his voice and the annoyed scent he left told Kenma that, one, this was an alpha, and two, he was not happy at all.

"Hum…" Kenma did not know what to say, so he just avoided the other's eyes by hiding his own face behind his hair.

The alpha looked pissed because of the lack of response and snarled at him.

“Just come already!" He said angry "don't waste our time with your omega bullshit."

_Omega? What-_

And without looking back to see if the boy was coming, the alpha went out of the door with large steps. Kenma stumbled out of the bathroom and made a small run to not lose him, not that he wanted to follow, but he was too scare of the alpha and this place he did not know.

He followed the other keeping somewhat of a safe distance through a long white hallway, looking know very much more like a hospital. He passed by some others rooms that looked bigger and emptier than the one he woke up in, having only two or three beds, while the other had at least eight.

He continued to follow the tall alpha now noticing he was wearing some kind of a military uniform, only in white and red colors, different from the usual green or blue.

_Makes sense. Alphas are mostly in the military, and this looks like a hospital. He certainly is a medical officer._

Kenma was so much inside his thoughts about his surroundings that he did not realized they were approaching other people in the corridor after turning left at a corner, jumping like a scared cat when his name was called.

Or more like yelled.

"ARE YOU KENMA!?" A loud, tall and muscular teenage alpha male appeared inches from his face and Kenma jumped. "It must be you RIGHT? You have to help him!"

"Bokuto!" Another teenage alpha said harshly while gripping the first one by the collar of his shirt and taking him away from Kenma. "Calm down idiot! You're going to freak the kid out!"

"Cadets Sawamura and Bokuto! Stop this nonsense. What are you still doing here?" Asked the older alpha with a strong tone, but not a disgusted one like the one he used with Kenma.

Both boys righted their posture saluting the older officer.

"I can't go back! Kuroo's my friend! I need to know he's okay!" The loud one with wild white hair spoke before remembering whom he was talking to. "I mean… Sir…"

_Kuroo?_

"My ma-... I mean. My omega is there with him, Sir. I was waiting for him." Said the other one.

"Oh yes, you already found one of those for you." The officer said while giving Kenma a side look. "But doesn't he knows how to get back to his own dorm? Get out of here, both of you."

"But…" Bokuto started again when the officer looked daring at him to continue. He did not want to go back without Kuroo. He was awakened by his bro's scream in the bed beside his. Kuroo was pale, eyes wide with tears streaming down his face, hands gripping his head so hard that it started to bleed, body contorting in weird angles while soaking in sweat.

He did not know what to do. He knew his friend was having a sudden overblow of his senses, but he couldn't help! He was a sentinel, not a guide! And Kuroo didn't have a mate yet, and as soon as he had that thought, Kuroo started screaming a name, a name he talked about so many times that he could never forget.

_Kenma._

Bokuto looked at the omega boy in front of him and sighed. He did not want to leave, but if Kuroo called for him, if this is the same Kenma that he always talked about, if this was Kuroo's Kenma…

Then he could only step out of the way. His friend was going to be okay. Somehow now, looking at this scared kid, he knew.

_It is fate._

"Please just…" Bokuto said one last time before turning around and leaving with Sawamura, "Please just help him."

The boys left and the officer just opened the door and rushed Kenma inside. He was in another hospital room, with two beds, nightstands, a TV with Blu-ray and sound system, a mini fridge and even a video game. Too different from the room with only beds that he woke up into.

However, none of that actually got his attention, because the moment he was shoved inside the room he saw it.

He saw him.

Kuroo was laying in one of the beds, eyes closed, body soaked in sweat, hair wet and messier than anything Kenma remembers. Dark bags under his eyes and red spots all over his skin.

He was sick. He was in pain. Kenma could see it in the way Kuroo's features lightly changed. His eyes closed tightly and his body was shaking, head slowly moving from side to side and sick moans echoing from time to time.

Kenma felt Kuroo's pain like it was his own. Everything came to him at once and he suddenly wanted to cry, scream and run. He wanted to hold his friend close and tell him that everything would be okay. That he would make it all better.

_But why do I think I can do that?_

There was someone else in the room with Kuroo. Another boy, but this one was shorter and slender then the two from earlier, with gray hair and pale skin. When the boy saw the newcomers entering the room, he rapidly stood from the chair he was sitting beside Kuroo's bed. Kenma noticed that he also let go of Kuroo's hand.

That gave Kenma a really unpleasant feeling.

"So you were useless after all." The alpha said harshly not wanting a response. The boy only nodded and continued to look down, never looking the alpha in the eye. "Try with this one then. Make it work."

With that, the alpha left the room and the gray haired boy looked extremely relieved. He looked at Kenma with a brand new smile in his face.

"Hello, my name is Sugawara Koushi, but you can call me Suga. What's your name?"

"Kozume Kenma." He said after a minute of silence. He did not know why this person was being so friendly towards him, but at least he was not disgusted with Kenma's presence like the alpha officer was. "Kenma is fine though."

"Nice to meet you Kenma!" the other's smile got bigger "Glad to have you here, I've been trying to bring him back for an hour now, but he keeps bringing up your name."

"What?"

"His roommate said that he woke up screaming for you right before passing out again due to senses overload. Usually I can help bring young sentinels back from these incidents, but his mind is asking for you specifically."

"His mind?" Kenma asked confused.

"Yeah… wait, don't you know?"

"About?"

Suga kept looking at him for a moment just to be sure that the other was not pulling his leg.

"You were called here Kenma. That means you are his empath, his omega and future mate."

"I… what? No, I'm… But I'm a beta."

"No, I can tell by your scent and your presence. You are an omega and an empath."

_Omega? Empath? How is it possible?_

"But my parents are betas." He said trying to put some sense in this day.

"Well, sorry? I understand that you grew up as a beta, but you are an omega now. Sometimes it happens."

Kenma said nothing. He did not know exactly what to say or what to do. He always thought that Kuroo not presenting a beta was weird enough, and now he is an Omega?

His thoughts were cut when Kuroo left a painful moan at the bed. He felt another pain in his heart in response.

"Look," Sugawara said with a sigh, "it'll be alright, I'll help you figure things out later. But now you have to help him. You're the only one that can."

"But I don't know what to do." He answered in a whisper.

"You know each other, right? There's no way that he would call for you without knowing you first."

"Yeah, we grew up in the same neighborhood. But we're just friends."

"Well, try something that you know he is comfortable with. He needs to feel safe enough to keep his senses in control, and then you reach for him and bring him back."

"Reach?"

"In your mind. You'll know when you try it, it's in your heart." Sugawara started to walk toward the door "I'll leave you to it. Don't worry, it'll be okay."

And with that, Kenma was alone again. Well, not completely since Kuroo is right in front of him, but he was out of conscious. And Kenma really wanted to help him, even not knowing how.

He tried to think about things that made Kuroo calm in the past. His mind went back to easier times when both of them would come home after school or practice just to be lazy in either of their room. Kenma would always have some kind of game or puzzle words to distract himself with, while Kuroo would be satisfied with laying in the bed watching whatever he was doing.

That gave him an idea.

Kenma got closer to the bed and inspected Kuroo's face. He was not getting better on his own, so Kenma knew he had to do something.

He wanted to do something.

So he went to sit on the bed beside Kuroo's head, using all his strength to push the heavy alpha's body to make room for himself. It was a difficult task, but somehow he managed to sit down and put the other's head on his lap.

Then he looked closer and started combing the messy hair with his fingers. He wanted to help, but he did not know how. He did not have anything to play with now so that Kuroo could wake up to watch him play.

"Hey Kuro, can you wake now? I don't know what else-"

_Reach for him. It is in your heart._ Sugawara's voice echoed in his mind.

He closed his eyes to that. Never stopping his hand in the raven hair, he tried to call for Kuroo in his head. It was funny in the beginning. Like talking alone but with no sound.

He was starting to feel dumb when he felt something different. A presence that he physically wanted to follow, but somehow he knew that if he moved his body he would break whatever spell he was beginning to get into.

So he created an image of himself in his mind and started walking, much like he would do in a video game. He kept walking while the presence grew stronger, until he could feel it all around him.

Then he decided to try again.

_Kuro?_

Something happened. Suddenly he was back in the beta sector, in his school uniform and walking toward home. He had his backpack and everything.

Then he looked forward and saw his best friend standing in his own uniform only a couple of steps away from him. Kuroo was looking to the sunset in the distance as he always would during their walk home. Kenma always told him that they only took so long to get home because Kuroo always wanted to watch the same stupid sunset.

Now he thought that the way the sun's light touched Kuroo's face was incredibly beautiful, and the other's expression was so peaceful that Kenma wanted to cry.

"Kuro?"

Like coming out of a spell, Kuroo looked at him for the first time in that place. Eyes wide and a beautiful smile spreading through his face.

"Hey Kitten, didn't see you there."

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know." Kuroo somehow seemed confused. "I… was going home?"

"Which home?" Kenma tried "don't you mean the academy?"

"Yeah I… I guess."

Kenma sighed. "Kuro, you're sleeping."

"Oh." Kuroo blinked at him. "I see. Well, what you're doing here then?"

"You called for me."

"I did?"

"Yes. They said your senses overloaded. Your roommate was freaking out."

The alpha let out a laugh. "I imagine. That's Bo for you."

They fell in silence once again and Kenma also turned to see the sunset.

"Then why you are really here Kitten?" Kuroo asked again, now turning his whole body toward Kenma.

"I… I'm an…" Kenma tried to speak through something constricting his throat. "I think I'm an omega now."

Kuroo reached for Kenma's chin to make him look at his eyes. Hazel met gold and Kenma saw nothing but longing in the alpha's eyes.

"Yeah, I thought that was the case." Kuroo said.

"But…" Kenma was starting to cry, "But I don't know how to be an omega. I don't know what to do!"

"I know kitten." Kuroo pulled him into his embrace and Kenma hugged the alpha's waist, sobbing into his shirt. "But at least that is something that now we can figure out together."

Kenma only nodded and Kuroo let him cry as much as he wanted. When the sun was almost gone and the first street lights began to light up, Kenma let go and looked at the alpha.

"I was supposed to be the one to comfort you here. Can we go back now?"

"Yeah, sure." Kuroo chuckled "Do you know how though?"

Kenma made a disgusted face that sent Kuroo into a laughing fit. “It’s your head! You should know!”

“Yeah, yeah.” the alpha said still laughing and taking Kenma’s hand. They started walking towards their old home like when they were at school. Kenma looked at Kuroo and noticed that the alpha was smiling, only then realizing that he was, in fact, smiling too.

Even now, six years later, Kenma remembers everything about the first time he brought his mate back to consciousness. When he opened his eyes to find Kuroo waking up in his lap, the happiness and relief he felt was enough to send him back to tears. At least now he had a better control of his emotions, crying all the time was exhausting.

And Kuroo kept his word, not that Kenma ever doubted he would. They stood together since that day, well, as much as they could. Kenma was not sent back home, he actually never saw his old home neither his parents again. He was sad when he first heard that he wasn't allowed to contact his family, but then he somewhat knew that his parents wouldn't be happy to see him. The things he heard they say outside his room while he cried that one night came back to him when he thought about his mom and dad.

And he never talked to Kuroo about it. It was one of the few things that he managed to hide from the alpha inside the depths of his mind.

And he was leaving it like that.

But in the beginning everything was so chaotic that he didn't had time to think about his old home at all. Ten minutes after he brought Kuroo back, the alpha officer went back into the room and rushed him outside. Kuroo was back to sleep, now a healing one to make up for how exhausted he was after the senses overload, and Kenma was not allowed to stay with him.

Instead, he was shoved in the hands of Sugawara. The older omega was waiting for him outside the room, and as soon as the alpha officer kicked Kenma out, he guided the boy to the omega dorm. At first, the place looked exactly the same as the crowded hospital room where he first woke up, only larger and with more beds. He could see that the sheets were old and thin, but it was all clean and neatly organized.

That became his room for the next few years until Kuroo graduated at the academy. Sugawara became his friend and taught him to survive in a place full of angry alphas, while doing all the chores that were assigned to the omegas. However, since he was officially Kuroo's empath, he could spend an hour with the alpha every day. Although that was considered Kuroo's right, not Kenma's.

At least they could talk with each other again, and even if Kenma hated the academy, he was happy to listen to Kuroo's stories about his days. How he and Bokuto always ended getting in trouble for some stupid thing they tried to do, how Sawamura kept scolding and kicking them for it, how good his grades were and how many nights he had to stay awake to ensure Bokuto would pass his tests.

It was unfair that Kuroo's life was so fun and bright while his own was filled with endless chores and shouting. Dirty clothes, dishes and floors to wash and clean, things to sew, cooking to do, rooms and pantries to organize. Kenma knew it was not fair, but he could not blame his alpha.

He blamed the system.

Kuroo did tried to help though.

In the beginning, every time he had a time off he would search for Kenma to try helping him with his chores. He would wipe the floor or wash the bathroom for him, even managed to sneak into the kitchen to do the dishes with Bokuto once, who thought everything was too funny to miss the chance on breaking rules. That until they were caught and were both punished with extra exercises and no allowance for two months.

However, the punishment was even worse for Kenma, who got no dinner for a week, living only on lunch and the snacks that Suga managed to sneak to him from Kuroo. In addition, his chores were doubled, especially in rainy days where he had to do every little task needed outside. The only reason he wasn't physically punished was because the one time they tried, Kuroo saw red and went berserk on everyone that dared come close to Kenma, sending two alpha officers to the hospital and leaving other three with bruises, claws and bite marks.

Kenma knew that they were lucky that the academy did not want to lose a brilliant cadet like Kuroo, so he was not expelled or locked up. Also, he knew that if the alphas were to lose Kuroo, they would also lose Bokuto, since they were together when hell broke loose, and their friendship was too strong to allow just one of them to suffer the consequences.

And Bokuto was a level 5. They would not lose him.

Therefore, after the three most hellish months in his life, Kenma’s routine went back to normal. Especially because Kuroo was nearing his breaking point, and the only reason he did not kill anyone in that time was because Kenma kept making him promise that he would not do anything that could worse their current situation. So in the due time, everything went back to normal, at least as normal as it could be.

And things actually got better after graduation.

When the level 3 to 5 cadets graduate, they become Sentinels to be assigned to a Squad. The Sentinels Squads are the most prestigious section inside the military, split in four divisions placed in different bases throughout the country, the first base was in the city of Tokyo, while the others were in Kyoto, Fukuoka and Sendai. These bases were the center of power in each city and its surroundings, and did not contain only the sentinel’s troops, but also the high commander of each region and their subordinates.

The sentinel’s troops were also the only ones that did not remain stationed permanently in one base. For being the best soldiers, they were also the eyes and ears of the central government located in Tokyo, which means their loyalty was first to the higher command and the General, the chief of state that ruled all the territories of Japan. To ensure that the Sentinel’s commanding officers would not plot with the local governors and risk a civil war, the troops are relocated regularly, never staying in one base for more than 3 months.

The constant movement of the sentinels also ensured the order in the smaller cities in the countryside, since you will never know when to expect a sentinel garrison to pass by, and he soldiers were told to always alert any kind of odd behavior to be seen through their way. Also, the commanders and governors would be moved from squads and bases regularly to avoid too much friendship between command, soldiers and the population.

Therefore, that is what it looks like to be a part of a Sentinel Division. Always moving, always alert, and always waiting for the next fight. The only time of the year when the sentinels would have a break is when their squad is based in Tokyo. For being the capital, the city have its own permanent troop, which is in charge of the defense of the central government, and is three times the size of the other bases permanent garrisons. This squad is considered the best in the country, and only accepts alphas level 4 and 5 that served for at least three years in one of the four Sentinel Division, and on top of that, had perfect reports on their missions and are recommended by their superiors.

However, the Tokyo Army, as it is known, does not mean anything to Kenma.

Since Kuroo’s graduation from the academy, they were selected to the Sentinel Division IV, or Sentinel-IV. This squad was a little different from the other three, and pretty much new. Originally, there were three Sentinels Divisions and the Tokyo Army, but soon the military government realized that more and more individuals were graduating with not so perfect backgrounds. They were all good soldiers with enhanced abilities, but they also had questionable aspects that could stain the picture of the perfects alphas that the academy were known to create.

At first these not so perfect alphas were ignored and assigned to lower positions. They were still sentinels with enhanced senses, but they almost never participated in fights and missions, usually being assigned to watch the perimeter of the camps, guard and supervise the omegas chores, scout the road ahead and deliver messages between the base and the surrounding areas in case of emergency. However, with time, there were more and more of these soldiers graduating, and the government could not risk this enhanced alphas to be expelled to walk free in the society. Their power should be contained and used the best way possible.

Therefore, the Sentinel-IV was created four years ago by the suggestion of a commander named Oikawa Kousuke. This commander worked with the sentinels divisions for years before retiring from the field and becoming a member of the higher command’s council, and also the CEO of Seijou Enterprises, a billionaire company specialized in research and development of new weapons and military goods.

Oikawa Kousuke proposed the creation of the Sentinel-IV squad as a division where troublesome alphas could work without the risk of disturbing the other squads, while also giving the chance for them to fix their own problems in order to move to one of the first three squads to prosper as a soldier.

The outcome was a first year full of bad tempered alphas irritated for being “lowered” to the fourth division, which resulted in many internal conflicts and indiscipline. The situation was only fixed when commander Oikawa himself went to supervise the division, and for six months worked the alphas until each one of them right themselves or abandoned the sentinels altogether to be sent to work in the cities policies, being that consider the place to level 1 and 2 alphas, and for that a disgrace to the alpha's name.

Therefore, Sentinel-IV is somewhere no one wants to be. And Kenma would not want anything different. Since it is considered by many as the lowest position on the sentinel career, people usually work their best in order to be promoted to one of the other squads, so the new faces would not stay there for long. On top of that, there were those who actually liked to be a part of this squad and worked to be the best without leaving. Choosing to stay.

And that was Kuroo’s case. Kuroo was considered a troublesome alpha due to his choice in remain in contact with his beta parents, not rejecting his origins like most alphas like him would do. He once told an instructor at the academy that he was no better than others just for being an alpha, and for that he would not cut ties with his family. That earned him a week in the solitary as punishment. In addition, his tendencies to prank everyone all the time with Bokuto got them both in the red list during their training years.

But on top of that, his grades were always perfect, and his combat abilities were always between the top five in his class. He was a level 4 sentinel with perfect abilities and a bunch of successful missions in his resume. So yeah, they could not expel him, so Sentinel-IV is his place now. Alongside with Bokuto and a bunch of their friends from the academy. Kenma once told Sugawara that their class must be consider the disgrace of their teachers, since all the top five ended up in the same “low” squad.

However, that worked too much in their favor. They were friends that grew up and became full-trained soldiers together. They knew each other’s fears and dreams saw their ups and downs and trusted their abilities. Being in the same squad only worked for their friendship to grow, and three years later they were not a division anymore. They were family.

They were a pack.

New alphas came around and liked what they saw there. More and more the missions were successful and the name of the squad began to rise. They were still considered officially a place for troublesome people, but no one could deny their value anymore due to their success rate. Therefore, the squad grew with new additions that not only respected each other, but also trusted and protected themselves as teammates.

They all knew that their chances at reaching the higher chain of command would be even more difficult staying in that division, but they were called “the loser squad” for so long that they wanted to send a message to the others. They were going to be the best sentinels.

And they were going to do that as a team.

So for about three years now they moved around with the Sentinel-IV squad. Right now they are in Tokyo again, and that means a little bit of peace. No one knew when the change of bases would occur, it was always a surprise only revealed a couple of days in advantage. So it’s better enjoy it while it is possible.

For that reason Kenma was now in his and Kuroo’s room playing a new game on his Switch. Well, officially it was not his console exactly, since omegas are not allowed to own technology, but Kuroo gave it to him to play in their room in his time off, under the pretense that the game was owned by the alpha. But either way he could not be caught playing, so he also had to be aware of the sounds coming out of their room.

He knew none of the others members would report him, but you could never be too careful. No one knew when the division’s commander would bust into any room to try to catch someone doing things they are not supposed to. And since the door can only be locked if the alpha is inside, Kenma has to be in high alert.

It would be better to wait for his mate to come back and lock the door so he could play, but he was bored. He finished all his chores in the morning and got bored and tired. Kuroo left early with Koutarou to the omega school to find the alphas’ mate, and they were taking forever to return. He hopes everything went fine. Kuroo is not the only one worrying for Bokuto’s health.

_Just pick anyone already, you stupid owl._

Kenma likes Bokuto, he really does. The white haired alpha is a good friend and was never bad to Kenma. The next time he saw the alpha after helping Kuroo that first time, Koutarou hugged him so hard he thought he would die. The alpha cried and thanked him so loud that an instructor that was walking nearby almost caught them. Thank god for Suga and Daichi being there to save their asses just in time.

Just like Kuroo, Bokuto was tossed in this squad for not reaching the perfect image the military wanted. His biggest problem was his lack of a mate. Every sentinel needed to have one to act as their guide and ensure his well-being, and a level 5 alpha needed an omega more than anyone else did. Bokuto was not the only unmated one in their pack, but he was the only one without a guide, which made Kenma the first one to call every time the alpha had an overload.

Kenma was the best in bringing him back due to their friendship and the closeness both of them had with Kuroo. Sugawara could do that sometimes too, but Kenma was usually the first pick. Although more than once now he realized that Bokuto’s episodes were becoming more frequent and more challenging. Last time it took both of the omegas to try for more than an hour, resulting all of them being extremely exhausted afterward, including their own alphas due to the disturbances in the bond.

A knock on the door makes him jump and hide the switch beneath the pillow. He runs to open the door before anyone decides to yell at him, although if the commander were there he would not even knocked at the door.

Sugawara was just outside waiting and opened a beautiful smile when Kenma opened the door.

“Hey there, it’s almost time to prepare the things for the alphas meeting. Did you have lunch yet?”

“No,” Kenma said, “I was waiting for Kuro to come back with Koutarou, but it seems that they’re running late.”

“Oh, maybe they succeed this time?”

“I hope so.” Kenma sighed. “Were you going to eat now?”

“Yeah, I was caught up cleaning the commander’s office so I haven’t eat yet.” Sugawara gestured to the hall “Better come with me before we have to go back to work.”

Kenma sighed again and followed Suga to the kitchen. The place was empty now since the other omegas already finished serving the alpha's food, but it would become noisy there again in a couple of hours in preparation for the meeting.

“Did Daichi tell you anything about the meeting?” He asked while gathering some food from the stove and the fridge.

“Only that the Commander will be here this time” Suga said while serving himself. “That’s why he asked me to tell all the omegas to act as ‘housewives’ today.”

Kenma nodded. It was true that today everyone was playing their roles as the “perfect” omegas, walking behind their alphas, not talking until someone tells them to, serving the food at lunch and cleaning everything after.

That was how they were all supposed to behave all the time, but another thing that Kenma liked about this squad was that the alphas there saw their omegas like partners, and not maids. They only “played the housewives” in the presence of outside officers and the alphas that were not part of their close pack. In a daily basis, especially during times with no mission, the alphas also took part in the chores, telling each other that their omegas were not their slaves to serve their every wish. They also liked to decide who would do the dishes after dinner by sparing at the gym, and since they keep cheating each other, that could take a while.

“It must be important if the commander is coming. Do you think we’ll be moving again soon?” Kenma asked.

“Hum… It is possible.” said Suga “But maybe it’s better this way. I don’t really like this base. Too many high officers in Tokyo. It makes me nervous.”

“I can agree with that.”

They ate in silence for a while, each thinking about their mates and the possible things that could happen from now on. Life was always a surprise in this field. Orders could appear out of nowhere and they would move in matter of instants. Therefore, attention was always required from them.

Even before they managed to finish their meal, an omega girl rushed inside with wide eyes. “Captain is calling everyone to their posts. The Commander is here.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Kenma hated meetings. He hated it even more when he was forced to be in the room. There were always at least two omegas present inside the meeting room in these occasions, standing in the far back observing the alphas sitting around the big rectangular table, ready to move if one of them needed something and to refill the water in their glasses.

Being one of the two omegas to remain longer in this unit, Kenma had the duty to stay in the room, although sometimes Suga would sneak in someone else so that Kenma could go hide in his room. Unfortunately, for him, this was not one of those occasions.

The early appearance of the current squad commander threw everyone in a mighty mess, and while the alphas that were visiting the city were told to rush back to the base, Captain Sawamura Daichi was guiding the commander through the sentinel compound in a sort of surprise inspection to buy them sometime.

That left Kenma standing in the meeting room observing while a bunch of alphas rushed inside and took their seats to wait for the commander and the captain’s return. It was then that he finally saw his mate arrive with Bokuto. They were uncharacteristic quiet, which kind of concerned Kenma, but since there were alphas that were only temporary in this base, he could not walk to Kuroo and demand answers. He could not risk it.

Instead, he did what he learned years ago and made it a secret between the both of them.

Telepathy.

The stronger the omega and their bond with their mates, the stronger will be their mental abilities. Usually a level 3 omega would be able to send thoughts to their mates through the bond, but that was more like specific feelings than real talk. The normal was to share happy, distress or caution to alert the alpha, showing then how the omega was feeling or how much attention was being required in the current situation.

However, once Kenma managed to link his mind with Kuroo, he was able to share words. Even before they physically bond, they could already talk in their minds and even dream the same thing at night. Kuroo knew that this meant that Kenma was more powerful than an ordinary level 3, and that could be dangerous.

Since the establishment of the new government, every level 4 omega was hunted down and disappeared from the face of the earth. No one ever saw one again and it was better that way. If anyone discover Kenma’s telepathy he could be taken away as a possible threat, and Kuroo would not allow that.

Even if it costs his life.

So secret it is. They remained quiet about it while Kenma’s abilities grew stronger. Now they could talk without restrain, not even needed to be in the same room, only in the same building.

_“What happened? Why you both so late? Why is Koutarou looking so sad?"_ Kenma mentally asked as soon as Kuroo entered the room and went to his chair.

 _“We’re not that late, not my fault that commander asshole decided to come in early.”_ Kuroo said without even looking at Kenma, making sure to keep a neutral face so that no one would realize that they were actually talking. _“And Bo is sad because of a conversation we had with Tsukki today.”_

_“I’m guessing that he didn’t find his mate at the school?_

_“Yeah… another bust.”_ Kuroo sighed loudly without realizing it _“I’m worried for him Kitten, I don’t think he has much time left”_.

Before Kenma could respond, another voice sounded in the room.

“Now, now, Tetsu-chan.” said the annoying voice, “Meeting hasn’t even started yet and you’re already bringing the mood down. Shame on you.”

“Shut up Trash King” Kuroo bites back to Oikawa Tooru. “Nobody asked you anything.”

“Well I’m sorry if your sore mood is risking making everyone feel like dead in their day off!”

“Alright girls, knock it off.” said a new voice before Kuroo could say anything else. “Day off was already ruined since a meeting was called.”

Kenma watched as the man sat down in the chair beside Oikawa and across from Kuroo and Bokuto. Iwaizumi Hajime was nothing like the others alphas in this room. Hell, he was not like any other alpha Kenma has ever seem. And this was the only reason he was a part of this squad, as for why among all of them, he was the one they all knew would never have a place in any other squad.

It was unfair. Iwaizumi was as strong and capable as any other alpha. Better than most of them even. However, there was something that people could not ignore, and for that, his career chances were basically none.

Iwaizumi was an alpha, graduated in the academy… with no enhanced sense.

At all.

He was strong, fast and smart. His grades were perfect and his missions had the higher success rate in their entire squad. But even with all that his senses never peaked up like the others did. For the entire time he stood in the academy since he presented at 14 and graduated at 18 years old, not even one sense was manifested. Not a single overload.

That was pretty rare and really concerning.

The only reason Iwaizumi was not expelled during his last year as a cadet was due to no other than Oikawa. Oikawa Tooru is a level 4 alpha born in a military family, son of Commander Oikawa Kousuke and heir to their family company. Extremely smart and capable young alpha, with the tendencies to overwork himself from time to time, considered a prodigy and his father’s ultimate pride and joy... that almost died during that last year.

A major sense overload suddenly caused a seizure and Oikawa was thrown to the ground in the middle of the gym. Everyone started to freak out and a bunch of medical officers was called to help. Kenma remembers Kuroo having nightmares for days after that, he himself could not sleep for a couple of nights.

And Iwaizumi was the one to save the other's life.

Kenma was suddenly brought back from the memory lane when Kuroo talked again.

“Well, no much we can do now. Let’s just hope commander is not here to send us to the electric chair.” Kuroo tried to joke.

“Wouldn’t be so bad.”

A heavy silence was made and everyone eyed Bokuto with concern. Kenma realized that the alpha did not even notice that he had spoken aloud. He silently walked toward the table and refilled Bokuto’s water, trying to comfort the alpha without rising suspicious.

Bokuto looked at him for a second and the ghost of a smile passed through his lips. He nodded slightly and slowly drank the water from the glass.

“Hey,” Iwaizumi broke the silence “everything okay in there buddy?”

“Yeah… all normal, I guess.” Bokuto said avoiding their stares.

“Should we take this as a 'no omega'?” Oikawa asked slowly, looking at Kuroo who sighed again and pushed his hand through his mess of a hair.

"Yes. But we'll keep looking."

"Any idea when the next group of omegas will graduate?" Oikawa asked.

"And just how will this help?!" Bokuto snapped, raising his voice and startling everyone in the room. "They're not in the school and they'll never be! I need to look somewhere else!"

The room was silent once again, and now that more alphas had just arrived, Kuroo did not want to have this conversation with people outside their close group.

“Bo calm down, let’s talk about it lat-

“Talk when Kuroo?” Bokuto looked at his friend with nothing but rage and frustration in his eyes and voice. “You didn’t even want to consider the idea about going out in the sec-

“Bokuto!” Kuroo snapped back at him. “Shut up, this is not the time or place!”

“For what exactly?” a deep voice filled the room and Kenma felt his blood freeze. “I hope your squad isn’t planning to cause trouble, Captain Sawamura.”

Daichi was right behind the commander and heard the last few words that left Kuroo’s mouth before entering the room. Suga entered last, closing the door and walking to the end of the room to take his spot beside Kenma. All the soldiers jumped to their feet and saluted the higher officer.

No one missed the distaste in the commander’s voice, though.

“I assure you Sir that everything is under control. My men were surely talking about trivial things.” Daichi answered while locking eyes with Kuroo, Bokuto standing right behind.

“Hum.” The commander shrugged and walked to the front of the room to initiate the meeting. "Just be sure to not create trouble until I get to dump you all to the next commander."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The meeting was exhausting and Kenma thanked heaven when it was over. The commander simply told them their next plans and orders and left, leaving Daichi to instruct everyone in what to do in the next few days.

At this point Kenma just wanted to lay down and sleep until the next month, but he knew that was not an option right now. The meeting was to announce that their squad was indeed to be moved to another base in the next couple of days, and they were driving there instead of taking the train because there were a few disturbances rising in some small towns in the way to deal with.

That meant that they were not just moving, they had a mission as well. And Kenma hated that. They would not only take longer to get to the new base, they would also have multiple stops during that time, which equals setting up camps, with tents and fires, sleeping in the floor and cooking outside.

Yeah, Kenma really hated those kind of missions.

Daichi gave the orders and announced that they were leaving two nights from now and dismissed the alphas. That meant that Kenma would spend tomorrow packing their things, since Kuroo was now responsible for the weapons transport with Iwaizumi. So more work for him to do alone, like always.

Kenma followed Kuroo out of the room and noticed that Bokuto left ahead of everyone else, already disappearing down the hallway when they stepped out of the door. Kuroo sighed seeing his friend walking away.

_"What kind of conversation was that to make him this distressed?"_ Kenma asked through their bond.

_"I'll explain to you better when we get back to our room, but apparently there might be young omegas living in Sector C."_

That startled Kenma. Sector C was to him a constant reminder of his future if Kuroo ever die before him. He was always scared for his mate's life, not only because he loved and did not want to lose him, but also because that ward scared him to no end.

He did not want to live there. He did not want to live a life without his mate.

"Kuroo!" came the harsh call. A blond and scary alpha was walking to them with a pissed off face that made Kenma hide behind his mate's back.

"What talk was that about omegas earlier? Where can I find them?" The alpha demanded and Kuroo did not like his tone nor the way it made Kenma flinch at his back.

"Watch your tone with me, I don't have to tell you anything!" He growled.

"I will talk however I want, now answer-

"Kyoutani!" Iwaizumi's voice echoed the same time as he slapped the back of the younger alpha's head. "What have I told you about respect toward people older than you?! Try to ask nicely."

Kyoutani growled at Iwaizumi and received another slap in the head. "Growl at me again and I will wipe the kitchen with your sorry ass. Now get going before I do lose my temper."

The younger alpha knew better than try his luck with Iwaizumi and walked down the hallway without looking back. Once he turned the corner, Kenma sighed in relief and Kuroo relaxed his shoulders and fists.

"Sorry about him." Iwaizumi said. "He doesn't know how to speak without demanding and he's also kind of desperate. He wanted to ask if you guys discovered another place for him to look for a mate."

Kuroo remembers that he saw Kyoutani this morning at the school. He was one of the two level 4 alphas waiting outside the auditory when he and Bokuto entered the room.

"So he also didn't choose one today?" Kuroo asked.

"No." Iwaizumi sighed and scratched his head. "He said that the omegas there were annoying him and that they somehow 'smelled weak', don't ask me how."

"Hum, Bokuto only said to me that, and I quote, 'they weren't there'."

"Well, nothing more we can do about that now, but he's worried about leaving Tokyo this time without a mate. His last overload was difficult to contain, even with Suga's help. And Daichi almost ripped Kyoutani's head out when he woke up and growled at Suga."

"Well, he does need to learn how to growl less." Kuroo said crossing his arms in his chest.

"I agree, but right now I'm worried too." Said Iwaizumi. "But you guys were saying something about that earlier. Any idea on how I can help him with that now?"

Kuroo sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time in this day. "You really are a good senpai, aren't you?"

"Kyoutani is a good guy. He is just lost right now. I know he'll try to apologize for scaring Kenma later."

Kuroo smiled at his friend for acknowledging his mate's presence and mood. He decided to tell what he heard, approaching the other alpha and speaking in the lowest tone he could muster. Even Kenma who was right behind him could not hear all that well, even knowing what was being said.

"Apparently there are young omegas in Sector C, there is some kind of 'event' where alphas and betas invade the place to attack them. This shit is illegal but government looks the other way."

"What the-" Iwaizumi said in a similar low voice. "And Bokuto thinks his mate could be there?"

"At this point I believe he's sure about that. He thinks that they’re in danger and wants to do something at any cost." Kuroo righted his posture. "But be careful with this knowledge. I'm having a bad feeling about this."

"Will do. Thank you for telling me Kuroo."

"No problem buddy. Good luck with your pup, Mama Bear."

Iwaizumi flipped him off and walked away but still able to hear Kuroo's hyena-like laughter.

_"Can we go back now? I'm exhausted."_

_"Of course Kitten."_ Kuroo smiled and linked his fingers with Kenma's. _"Let's have a nap before dinner."_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

November 6th - 20:00 pm

Kuroo was going to be so mad at him.

Hell, if Daichi discovers he will wipe the floor with him. But it was not his fault. He needed to see.

He needed to know.

As soon as the meeting was over he rushed out of the room, not even waiting for any of his friends. He walked to his room, changed his uniform to a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a jacket and left the base with a motorcycle he borrowed at the garage.

Bokuto drove towards Sector A's border and stopped at the checkpoint, his Sentinel ID giving him free way into the beta sector. He did not actually knew what he was doing, he just kept driving farther and farther straight to the end of that sector.

He longed to go. He did not know why. He just answered to the urge.

When the streets began to look less bright and emptier he got off the main road, using small alleys to cross dozens of apartment buildings that looked smaller and poorer the more he went.

Bokuto did not know how he did not get lost. He was never alone in Sector B before, especially this deep into the ward. But something was calling and showing the way.

He finally got to an alley that ended in a street with almost no light. He parked in the corner and looked around.

The street was empty, and on the other side stood an enormous iron fence with at least two stores high. There was no streetlight on the other side, and the only thing that helped him see was his enhanced sight.

Bokuto looked to the far end of the street to where a police post were, probably the gate of Sector C, and saw the border patrol walking aimlessly around there. He knew he could not stay there for long or he would end up being caught.

But he still needed to see… to somehow see if-

"Cooo!"

Bokuto jumped and looked at the far top of the fence. There, right above his head was the same brown and gray owl from this morning. Intense blue eyes looking sharp even when it tilted the head while still looking down at him.

He smiled.

"Cooo."

"Hey there, glad to see you again." Bokuto said to the owl. "What'cha doing here?"

"Cooo!" The owl tilted its head more and pointed one wing toward the inside of the sector. "Cooo!"

"Oh, you live here?"

"Cooo."

"Do you… hum" Bokuto swallowed, "Do you know… someone… in here?"

"Cooo!" The owl ruffled its feathers happily "Cooo!"

However, before Bokuto could say anything else, the loud sound of an SUV engine growled into the night making his head spin. He saw the car passing through the police post and the gate and disappearing inside.

He was too far down the street to see around the firsts buildings of the sector, but he heard the cries of a girl not long after that the car's door were opened and closed.

He saw the SUV passing the gate once again and heard a cacophony of rushed steps, but his headache was picking up too fast for him to make sense of anything. He knew he had to go back to the base now because he forgot to take his pain pills with him. He needed to go back before he drives himself into a sense overload.

Bokuto looked up but the owl had once again vanished. He hasn't even heard the sounds of its wings flying away. It just left.

_Just like a ghost. Just like a dream._

He remained staring at the spot for a moment.

"I'll come back for you." He did not know why he was saying that to the night sky. "I'll come back. I promise."

______________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! Good morning everyone! Welcome back!
> 
> Thank you so much for all the kudos, hits and subscriptions this story is receiving! And a huge THANK YOU for the comments! They make my week, keep my anxieties at bay and always put a smile in my face!
> 
> And now we know about pieces of lives from all three dynamics and also how’s it like to be an omega surrounded by alphas all the time. Plus, our boys’ sentinel squad is nothing like any other! I needed for you to know how the squad works so the next chapters won't be confusing!  
> I hope you are not getting bored with me, but since I am trying to build a whole society in here, the first chapters had to be full of narrative and explanations. BUT! We are getting action next chapter, I promise!
> 
> Leave me comments! I want to know what you think! Just scream at me!
> 
> See you guys later! Have a nice week and be safe!


	6. When Worlds Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a few steps away he saw it. He saw him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends, are you guys ready?  
> From now on every time you see this line: --------------------, that means a change of POV.
> 
> Buckle up people, this is going to be a ride!

November 7th - 8:00 am – Tokyo’s Sentinel Base

It was too early for this.

Well, to be fair he was not really sure what was the time, but any time is too early if you are waking up to a pissed off Kuroo standing beside your bed. Things were usually worse when this sight came along with a concerned looking Kenma not two steps behind the raven alpha.

_Yeah. It is too early for this._

Bokuto whined and tried to bury his head under his pillow to go back to sleep, but Kuroo had other plans and grabbed it before he could hide from him.

"Where the hell were you last night?" Kuroo demanded and looked ready to kill someone. Bokuto noted that Kenma's eyes were darting between both alphas, all kinds of emotions making an appearance in the usual bored face. Bokuto knew that the new mission they just received was weighting on the omega with all the work he was going to be put through while the sentinel squad were on the road, and there were basically nothing that any of them could do about it.

"Bro, chill a little." Bokuto whined to Kuroo "you're scaring Kenma and giving me a headache all at the same time."

"Well that wouldn't be necessary if you hadn't come back last night with a headache yourself, missing dinner and going MIA after the meeting was over." Kuroo bites back "Asahi just told me during breakfast that you went to the infirmary last night almost passing out because you forgot your pills. Now tell me where the hell were you, asshole!”

Kuroo was really pissed, Bokuto could tell. Pissed and concerned, which was never a good combination for him. He sighed and decide to tell the truth, no point in lying now. He did not had time for that.

"I went there." He said slowly.

"There?" Kuroo asked confused at first. He was certain he already knew where his friend was the night before. He just had that gut feeling telling him that the moment he realized Bokuto was missing dinner. However, having his friend admitting it at the spot told him how serious the situation really was. "You went to Sector C last night? Alone? Are you kidding me?”

"I needed to see Kuroo!" Bokuto jumped from the bed in frustration and looked at his friend's eye "I needed to go see them. I needed to at least try something!"

"And what did you see?" Kuroo snapped back "Did you go inside? Saw anything at all? Did anyone see you?"

"Hum…" Kenma tried to get the alphas attention. They were starting to yell at each other and that would get everyone in trouble if that kind of conversation were to be heard.

But were the alphas paying attention to him? Of course not.

"No!" Bokuto yelled. "I couldn't see shit! I was trying to look for something… Anything! But then a damn SUV roared down the street and my hearing decided to screw with me! Again, obviously!"

"You were trying to get inside weren't you?" Kuroo yelled back and Kenma flinched, but he also sensed a presence approaching down the hall. "You were trying to sneak inside that damn Sec-"

"Kuro!” Kenma yelled to his mate while grabbing at his arm, which hands had just latched onto Bokuto's shirt. "Stop this nonsense, someone is coming!"

That managed to get their attention and both alphas stilled for a second. They remained silent while hearing the footsteps disappearing down the hall after it stopped for a few seconds in front of Bokuto's door.

Kuroo sighed and let go of Bokuto. Kenma was still tense with trembling fingers, too afraid of any kind of punishment that could come for them. The alpha kissed his mate’s forehead and hugged him to his chest, feeling his omega’s breath slowly return to a more normal rate.

Bokuto saw all of that. He loved his friends and he knew that they just wanted to help. But seeing the sweet touches and words set a feeling of longing in his heart. He knew he could just be jealous, but he did not care.

He wanted that. He wanted a mate.

“Look Kuroo,” Bokuto started again, more calm and sitting on the edge of his bed “I get it, it’s dangerous, but I had to go. And I am sure now. They’re there.”

Kuroo took a moment to look into his best friend’s eyes. “Are you sure it’s not just wishful thinking? Are you sure that’s the place?”

“I am.” Bokuto answered with certain. “I couldn’t see anyone, it was complete darkness and tall buildings, but I just felt… they’re there, I know it.”

“You’re going back then?” It was Kenma’s turn to speak, breaking the silent moment they fell into.

“Yes. But now I need to get inside.” Bokuto said looking determined at Kenma’s eyes.

Kenma nodded. "Ok. What's the plain?"

"Don't encourage him Kitten." Kuroo said with frustration.

"Face it Kuro." Kenma said to his mate. "He's going there either you like it or not. It's better help with a plan than let him to get caught by himself."

"Caught or killed you mean." Kuroo sighed and scratched his head. "Ok, fine, I give up. We'll try to come up with a plan to get you inside."

Bokuto's face lighted up by his friend's support. He knew he should not do what he was about to do, but he was desperate for a solution for so long that he did not care anymore. Consequences be damn, he was getting inside that sector no matter the cost.

"But first you need to get out of here, find yourself a breakfast and go deal with Daichi's orders. The squad is moving out tomorrow night and as I recall you are in charged with road supply." Kuroo said.

"What!" Bokuto squeaked, "I don't have time for that Kuroo! I am going to the sect-

"And then What?" Kuroo snapped, “Let’s say you do find them, what you do next? Because even if you don’t get caught inside Sector C, you’ll risk facing martial law if you just ditch your responsibilities a day before the squad’s departure”.

“But that is just another reason!” Bokuto whined, “If we are leaving so soon I need to go there now!”

“Isn’t it better to go after dark?” asked Kenma “Everyone will see you there in broad daylight.”

“You got a point there.” Bokuto grabbed and pulled his own hair “Man!!! What do I do!?"

Kuroo’s phone went off and he pulled it out to find a message from Daichi.

“Shit, we don’t have time for this now. Kenma, Suga is looking for you. Looks like you have a new task or something.” Kuroo said while seeing his mate’s face shift into one of disgust. “I know you don’t need any more chores Kitten, but it’s better to check it out. Bo, I am going to meet Iwaizumi to run the weapons check for tomorrow, can you please go work before jumping into trouble? We'll catch up at lunch and decide the next step, sounds good?"

It did not exactly sound good, but there was nothing much he could do right now. He signed and walked towards his wardrobe to look for his uniform.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

\-------------------------------------------

November 7th - 9:30 am – Sector C

“I swear I’m going to hike that freaking fence if that damn truck doesn’t get inside in the next five minutes!” Yahaba said for maybe the 10th time that morning. Keiji was seating by his side in the sideway of the first street, alongside with so many more people than he would ever be comfortable with, watching and waiting for the gate to open and the food to be delivered. “That got too far, they can’t keep toying with us like that!”

_Well, he is not wrong._ Keiji thought.

And he was not wrong. Since dawn, people started to move towards the first street to wait for the gates to open, but just like the night before there wasn’t any big movement from the other side of the fence, nothing that would indicate any kind of action to start anytime soon.

However, the promise of food and any kind of supplies was enough to attract every omega from there to the inner ward of the sector, and Keiji could not remember the last time he saw that many people at once. Somehow news travelled fast even there, and by noon, probably the whole sector would know what was happening.

“You won’t be doing any of that, idiot.” said Yaku from behind them, coming back from a check run. Since daybreak they had been doing runs around the block looking for strange movements of sort, taking turns between that and gate watching. “Cleary they want trouble. I don’t think we should stay here at all.” He looked over his side to the small blond girl that have just accompanied him down the block.

Yachi had decided to stay with the three of them for now. She was still terrified about everything around her and did not really know what to do, but these boys were kind to her, shared their water and watched over her during the night. They even said that they knew another girl that was abandoned like her, and that there was a house where she would be safe.

She did not know if she should trust them so fast, but their kind aura and friendly banter told her that they were good people. That and the fear about being alone in that hell of a place.

“But we have to stay!” Yahaba said while jumping to his feet to look at Yaku “We didn’t find anything to bring back home! We won’t survive another month without at least a bag of rice!”

“Do you think I don’t know that!?” Yaku snapped back. Of course he knew that their chances were worsening. Winter was right at the corner and they did not have anything to last a week, imagine the whole season! “I know we have to find supplies, but this is just too strange. Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it!”

Keiji watched as Yaku and Yahaba stared at each other, then he looked at Yachi and saw only despair in her eyes. He knew she was just a step away from crying again, so it was crucial to light up the air a little. Also, they were starting to gather attention from other omegas standing nearby.

“Look, let’s just calm ourselves right now.” Keiji started to say while rising to his feet to stand near his friends “Both of you have made good points. We do need food for the winter, for us and for the elders, but we also have to be extra careful right now.”

“Well, of course!” said Yahaba “I’m not actually saying that we should jump heads first like maniacs, but we also can’t just go back empty handed!”

“And I’m not saying that we’ll give up!” Yaku countered “I just want to go back for now, get Yachi to Suzumeda-san, and come back later with a plan that will get us food while remaining alive!”

Yahaba’s hands flew to his face when he tossed his head back with a whine. “But if we leave now we risk missing any chance of getting anything in case that damn gate opens while we’re gone!”

Keiji pondered both sides of the discussion and tried to come with a solution. His friends were right, but they were also hungry and tired, and also frustrated for supposedly having food in sight but out of their reach.

“Look, let’s think about it this way.” Keiji said regaining the others attention. “That truck is already parked there for almost 24 hours, so it will either get inside anytime now or not at all. Let’s wait until nightfall and if nothing changes we’ll get back and take Yachi-san home.” He looked at Yahaba who was starting to open his mouth again. “They have never done a deliver at night, so we’ll hardly miss any action this way.”

The four of them remained in silence for a moment, each one thinking about the implications of that plan. It was a good idea and it definitely made sense, so even if it was not like each of them wanted to act, it was somewhat a solution.

“Ok,” Yaku sighed, “Let’s do this way then. However, we are leaving as soon as the sun starts to set. And we’re walking fast, since I don’t like the idea of getting back in the dark.”

“Fine” said Yahaba, “Let’s go with that”.

With the corner of his eyes, Keiji saw that Yachi sighed in relief and relaxed her shoulders a little. He touched her back and offered a tiny smile when the girl looked at him. She smiled back shyly but seemed to be somewhat calmer.

_I hope this work._ The thought came to his mind and he looked at the bright blue sky. _Please, whoever is out there, please make this work._

\----------------------------------------------------

November 7th - 11:45 am

Kenma was tired. It was not even noon and he was already wishing for the night and their bed. The departure routine was always exhausting, especially for the omegas. While each sentinel was in charged with a task, usually in pairs to run the inventories for the weapons, road supplies, vehicles and other big things, which usually meant to count and check if they had enough of anything for the travel, the omegas had a massive load of work to do.

On top of the usual maintenance of the base, the cooking and cleaning for the day, the omegas also had to make tons of bentos for the road, wash, dry and stash all the extra uniforms for the troops to use during the march, packing fresh food that will be cooked during camping, gathering hygiene supplies, and do deep cleaning throughout the whole facility so that everything is perfect for the next squad to use the base.

That without counting the packing of their personal belongings that he still had to do in their room. And since Bokuto did not have a mate to work with that, Kenma usually did a run over the alpha’s room to make sure that nothing was forgotten, since anything left wrong would end with a punishment to the omega closer to the white haired alpha. In other words, Kenma. It is not as Bokuto does that on purpose, since the alpha really tries to pack everything right, but he just ought to forget something. Always.

But on top of all of that, he just got a new task. And a really annoying one at that.

Kenma was babysitting.

Well, that is mean. It is just that a new sentinel was admitted to the squad later the night before, bringing a new omega along, and since they have orders to leave the city, there is no time to properly show the omega all the chores they have to do at this facility. They do not even have the time to show the omega the facility at all.

Therefore, there was Kenma running to do his obligations with a newbie omega tagging along.

He found Suga that morning after leaving Koutarou’s room just to be introduced to the new omega. Sugawara asked him to show the other how to work in this madness since he was overload with work himself, and since Kenma is the second oldest omega member of the squad, Suga trusted him to keep things in order.

Hinata Shouyo was the omega’s name, and he wasn’t unpleasant per say, it was just that he was over excited and liked to keep words flowing out about everything and everyone. He had bright orange hair and was smaller than Kenma, but absolutely more energetic and friendly. They had spent just a few hours together and Kenma already knew his name, age, favorite food, favorite subject at the omega school, his closest friend’s names, the most boring subjects at the school, and etc. He just could not keep quiet for even a second by now.

But Kenma knew that the other was just too excited about being finally out of the omega school. Suga once told Kenma that he never actually saw the world outside the schoolyard before being picked up by his mate, and everything was so new to him that it was almost overwhelming. Therefore, that was probably Hinata’s reality too, and that is why Kenma was being very patient now. Trying to, at least.

It is just that he was so freaking tired.

And right now, almost lunch time, here they were joining other omegas in the kitchen to help serve the alphas that were about to arrive.

“WOW! Look at this kitchen!” Hinata said while looking around with bright eyes, “This fridge is huge! Ah! And there are two! WHAT! You guys have three stoves! So Cool!!”

“It’s not really ours, it’s the building’s.” said Kenma “We just use them while we’re in town.”

“It’s still awesome! You must use it a lot for it to be so big!”

“It’s just because there are bigger squads than ours.” Kenma whispered, “We just use all things at once when we have to cook extra for the road.”

And this was exactly the case now. The kitchen was a chaos of omegas running around trying to make as much bentos as possible, and that was going to last throughout the day and possibly the night, until their departure tomorrow. On top of that, everyone now had to squeeze together to prepare the alphas' lunch, so yeah, the place was crowded.

Sugawara was also present now, and as the leading omega, he was basically screaming orders around.

“Oh, good, you’re both here.” Sugawara said to Kenma and Hinata “Place is a mess and we don’t have much time, can you go set the dining room for me? The sentinels are about to come to eat and we’re still making food, since someone forgot to light up the stove to heat the curry.”

“How were they cooking without flame?” Hinata asked in awe, as if the omegas in the kitchen had magic to cook things without fire.

“Don’t ask me,” Suga chuckled “clearly it wasn’t working, since now we’re all behind schedule.”

“Oh… yeah, right. Sorry.” the orange haired omega scratched his cheeks shyly, noticing his previous thought.

“Don’t worry about it. Just follow Kenma so that he can show you where we store the things at the dining room, okay?” Suga said while patting Hinata’s head “And please be careful.”

Hinata nodded eagerly before following Kenma, who had already walked out of the kitchen and into the next room. The dining room was an even bigger place, since there was where all the meals were served, and to lots of alphas at once. Omegas usually eat in the kitchen, but only after they finished serving their mate’s table, which always infuriated Kuroo. But even if that was the procedure, their squad only followed it when the commander was present at the base.

Kenma tried to set the tables as fast as possible without getting his eyes off Hinata, since any mistake made there could earn them some kind of punishment, especially if the commander were to find out. And with their departure approaching, they all knew that a high ranked alpha could pop out of nowhere at any time.

So that is why Kenma blamed all the stress and the madness around him for the scared jump he did when Iwaizumi approached him without being noticed. The omega was focused on Hinata while the other one was trying to reach some plates that were clearly out of his reach in the shelf, risking bring the whole thing down, and then suddenly the alpha’s voice was right by his side.

To be fair, Iwaizumi was not trying to startle the omega, neither was walking silently. He had called the other’s name as soon as he entered the dining room, and since Kenma did not hear his call, he walked closer to try to catch his attention. However, the omega jumped so high that he ended bumping into a table, making a loud sound that echoed through the empty room, scaring Hinata in the process. The other screamed and jumped, but luckily managed to hold the plates to his chest without breaking anything.

Kenma looked scared at Iwaizumi and then to Hinata and the rest of the place, looking desperate to see if the commander were also nearby. The commotion caught the attention of the omegas in the kitchen, and in seconds, Sugawara was running through the door to see what was going on. Other omegas followed suit, eyes darting to the three in the room and widening when they realized that an alpha was present.

Kenma moved to help the plates out of Hinata’s hands, placing them on the nearest table. The smaller omega was trembling with fear since he noticed that an alpha sentinel just witnessed him almost break everything, and once the plates were off his hands, he dropped to the ground on his knees and bowed to the alpha with his forehead touching the floor.

“I am sorry! I’ll be more careful the next time!” Hinata basically shouted in panic.

No one said a word for a moment and Kenma did not know what he should do. He knew that Hinata should not need to apologize for something he did not even do, but he also could not say that aloud with all the people present around them. He did not trust all the omegas at this base, and no one needed gossip to start right now.

However, luckily, Iwaizumi was a friend and Sugawara was there for damage control.

“Can I help with anything alpha?” Suga said while scooting closer to Kenma and Hinata. “I am sorry for this, he has just arrived this morning and is still adjusting to the place.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Iwaizumi said while snapping out his own shock about the events that he sadly created. “No damage was done, get up kid, you’re not in trouble.” he finished kindly.

Sugawara nodded and helped Hinata off the floor. The smaller omega was still looking straight at the ground, not daring to look at the alpha, which only made Iwaizumi feel guilty.

Sugawara then turned to the omegas watching, “Back to work, there is nothing to see here.” and then to Iwaizumi, “Is it alright for me to take him back to the kitchen, alpha?”

Iwaizumi made a face that indicated that the omega did not need to talk like that with him, but he understood the need to keep the appearances with all the chaos going around them and all the new people walking around the base. “Yeah, sure. I’m just here to ask something to Kenma.”

“I’ll leave you two then.” Sugawara said before bowing to the alpha and entering the kitchen with Hinata. Kenma just sighed in relief when they were left alone.

“Sorry to scare you and your friend.” Iwaizumi apologized “I just wanted to ask you something, but I don’t think you heard me.”

“It is okay,” Kenma said lowly “I should be paying more attention to my surroundings. Didn't even felt your presence approaching.”

“It’s fine, I shouldn’t approach you so suddenly.” Iwaizumi said while grabbing the pile of plates that Hinata was supposed to work with. “Where do you need these?”

Kenma pointed to the far end of the room and Iwaizumi helped him carry the pile there. Sure, there were other empty tables closer, but he knew that the alpha was trying to talk to him far from curious ears. Once they were far enough from the door, they could talk more safely.

“I was actually looking for Kuroo. Did you see him?” Iwaizumi asked in a low voice.

“Not since this morning.” Kenma answered while wiping a plate with a random cloth, “Wasn’t him with you for weapons check?”

“He was, but we finished that already.” said Iwaizumi “It’s just that I just got some information for you guys, but I couldn’t find him again.”

“Information?”

“Yeah, about the thing we were talking last night.”

That caught Kenma’s attention and he looked wide-eyed at the alpha. He was about to ask for whatever it was when he felt his mate reaching through their bond. Kuroo was looking for him and Kenma told him where they were.

“That’s good, thank you.” Kenma said to Iwaizumi. “Kuroo just said that he’s on his way.”

Iwaizumi blinked at him for a second before offering a simple smile. “Heh, guess this bond thing is more useful than it looks.”

Kenma’s blush was visible. “Ah, it’s nothing. It’s just a sensation, not words or… anything.” He said dunking his head so his black hair could hide his face.

Iwaizumi just chuckled. In fact, he and the others in their close pack knew that Kenma and Kuroo’s connection ran deeper than they let out, maybe even deeper than Suga and Daichi’s. But they also understood why they were trying to keep it a secret, since a strong mental connection certainly means a strong empath omega, and that was something dangerous to be these days. If anyone discovers something like that, Kenma might be in trouble.

However, they were not going to let it come to that, they protect each other. They are a pack, and Iwaizumi is proud of that.

They waited in a comfort silence for a few moments. Kenma continued to set the tables while Iwaizumi took a chair and began to scroll through his phone. He first tried to help, but Kenma asked him not to, since he was afraid a high ranked alpha could pop out of nowhere.

“Kuro.” Kenma said lowly when he saw his mate entering the room just to bring Iwaizumi’s attention back to them. Kuroo was walking towards them with an annoyed face and a sulking Bokuto following.

“Sorry about the wait.” said Kuroo stopping besides Kenma and giving a kiss to his forehead. “I got caught up looking for this sneaky asshole who was trying to leave the base in broad daylight.” He pointed at the alpha behind him.

“I told you I already finished my orders for today.” Bokuto mumbled while throwing himself in a chair beside Iwaizumi.

 _“Didn't we agreed that it would be better to go there at night?”_ Kenma asked his mate through their bond.

 _“Yeah, remind Him about that!”_ Kuroo scoffed back.

Iwaizumi took a moment to look at Bokuto while the other laid his head on the table like a child in time out.

“Well, I actually came here with information that might help your problem,” Iwaizumi said, “if you’re interested, of course.”

Bokuto lifted his head a bit and looked at Iwaizumi with bright eyes, but his body was still slumped on the table.

_Yeah, definitely a child._ Iwaizumi chuckled to himself.

Kuroo kissed Kenma’s head again and went to seat himself with the others, while the omega remained standing to pretend he was still working, but closer enough to his mate so he can hear the talk.

“So, what do you know?” Kuroo asked. Iwaizumi had told him earlier today that he had a contact looking for information about the whole ordeal of Sector C, and Kuroo is nothing but surprised about the efficiency of the information gathering going on there. _That was fast._ He thought to himself.

“Partially the same you already knew.” Iwaizumi began. “No one can enter the sector, high fences with only one gate, which only opens with orders from above, end such. But the so called event is real too, so the government definitely knows, meaning that either someone powerful created it, or everyone just look the other way.”

Bokuto sighed defeated. Kenma knew that he was about to cry anytime soon. He also noted that the alpha’s hands were tightly closed into fists, which also meant that he was frustrated and a blink away from going wild and storming out.

So he walked slightly towards him and released a tiny bit of calming pheromones. The three alphas reacted instantly, sharp inhales and deep breathes. Their shoulders lowered and their bodies sunk a little in the chairs.

“Thank you Kenma.” Bokuto sighed end closed his eyes, his head not pounding like before end his heart easing to a more normal rate.

Iwaizumi nodded in agreement, his eyes thanking the omega all the same. Kuroo in the outside only smiled at his mate, while from the inside he was throwing bursts of affection through their bond. Kenma just hided his blush behind his hair again, but Kuroo did not miss the tiny smile in his mate’s face.

“So,” Iwaizumi called back their attention “other than all of that, I also heard that they’re planning something for tonight.”

“WHAT!” Bokuto all but jumped out of his chair. Kuroo only managed to grab the back of his shirt to pull him back on the chair before he ran out of the room.

“Keep calm or people will get curious!” Kuroo said while looking towards the kitchen doors, only to see a few heads peaking at the corner because of the commotion, which were easily scared away by Sugawara’s commanding voice. The omega peaked to see if he was needed, locking eyes and nodding to a thankful Kuroo.

“How can I keep calm!?” Bokuto snapped at his friends “I need to go! What if they get caught up in whatever’s going to happen!?”

“For the last time Bokuto!” Kuroo snapped back trying not to yell, “You don’t even know them! Even if you go there now, what guarantee you’ll find them in just a few hours?”

“I’ll know when I see them, I’m sure I will!” Bokuto cried back.

Kuroo closed his eyes while rubbing his forehead, he knew he could not convince Bokuto otherwise. That destiny bullshit was just too deep into his mind. Across from him, Iwaizumi lifted his head to see the first alphas entering the dining room to eat lunch. Kenma noticed it too.

_“We don’t have much time.”_ He said through the bond. _“Kuro, ask Iwaizumi if he have more details about whatever is being planned.”_

Kuroo opened his eyes and did as Kenma asked. He knew that his mate could not ask questions to an alpha himself now that other sentinels were present, even if standing in the far end of the room. He also knew that Kenma’s mind worked faster than any of theirs, so that was their best chance of forming a plan before Bokuto stormed away again.

Iwaizumi thought about the question for a moment before answering. “I wouldn’t say details, but apparently word is going around about tonight, so I don’t think they're keeping it a secret.”

“ _If word is around so they’re expecting to create a crowd.”_ Kenma said.

Kuroo repeated Kenma’s line and added, “But if that’s the case, how would they control lots of people at once?”

“I don’t think they are worried about that.” said Iwaizumi “I was also told something about a ‘no guard night’.”

Kenma visibly trembled at that. Kuroo felt the sudden panic through their bond and held his mate’s waist when the other’s legs buckled suddenly, preventing the omega to fall to the ground. Iwaizumi and Bokuto were startled by the scent filled with fear. Some of the other alphas in the room also looked towards them, but they just thought that the omega was being scolded for some random mistake.

“They want it to happen.” Kenma whispered while looking frightened at his mate. “They’re planning a full attack on the omegas.”

“But… why?” Kuroo asked “I thought this thing was supposed to go in the down low, since is technically illegal. So why risk a massacre with that many witnesses?”

“Apparently there’s too many omegas there right now.” Iwaizumi said almost to himself.

_They will kill them._ Kenma concluded to himself. _They will lower the numbers by allowing them to be attacked and killed._

They all snapped out of their thoughts to a sound of a chair being moved harshly. Bokuto stood to look right at Iwaizumi’s eyes with nothing but pure determination. “When will the gate be open?” he asked.

Iwaizumi looked at the white haired alpha. Bokuto was not planning to jump without thinking right now, he was sure of what he needed to do. Bokuto was not a soldier nor a civilian right now, he was an alpha ready to protect his mate, and Iwaizumi Hajime was not going to stand in his way.

_I know the feeling of need to protect a loved one._

“By nightfall.” he answered finally.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later Bokuto was exactly where he wanted to be. He finally managed to leave the base, out of his uniform and straight towards Sector C’s border. There was only one thing still wrong in his opinion.

He was still at the wrong side of the fence.

Just like the previous night, he went there through some small alleys and dark streets. The only difference was that this time he went there in a car Kuroo got to drive them there. They parked a block away and walked towards the fence, stopping right across the street from it.

And just like the night before, the truck was parked just outside the gate, but basically no guard was patrolling the street, with just a couple of them standing by the gate holding guns.

“Well, you wasn’t kidding when you said it was pretty creepy around here.” Kuroo said by his side. “The sun haven’t even set yet and the road is a complete darkness.”

“I told you I could come alone.” Bokuto answered while looking around the empty street.

“And leave you to get killed by yourself? Yeah, right.” Kuroo scoffed.

Bokuto smirked at that. He was actually thankful that Kuroo was with him. He knew he was going to need someone to think rationally when his emotions begin to get the best of him. He was grateful that Kuroo was his friend, basically like a brother, and he knew that the alpha would do anything to help him. Just like himself would do for the other.

Kuroo, Kenma and the rest of their pack were his family, and he would give his life for them. Just like he will give his life for his mate if he ever needs to.

But he had to find his mate first. And today was the day, he could feel it.

And because of that he came prepared this time. Right after their talk to Iwaizumi at lunch, Bokuto left the dining room to go see Asahi at the infirmary, asking for a full set of medicine for himself. He did not like to use them at all, but he could not risk a sense overload while looking for his mate, this was a one-time opportunity, and he would not miss it for anything.

At first, the alpha doctor did not want to give him anything without actual symptoms, but the determination in Bokuto’s eyes made up his mind, but they still agreed to run a checkup after whatever Bokuto was going to do. So now the alpha had perfect control of his five enhanced senses, and as long as this does not take all night long, Bokuto will remain in top of his form.

“How’re you feeling buddy?” Kuroo asked his friend.

“I’m fine Bro,” Bokuto said, “no headache, no buzzing in my hearing, not a single cramp. Never felt better!”

Kuroo sighed. “I just wished you didn’t have to take several pills to feel this way.”

Bokuto smiled at him. “I know, and I thank you for it. But don’t worry, everything will turn out ok.”

“Good to know your optimistic self is intact.” Kuroo chuckled.

Bokuto smirked and was about to say something else when they both heard people walking their way. Right now they could also notice more people gathering around the buildings and alleys, still out of sight, but not silent enough for their enhanced hearing. It basically seemed that no one wanted to be seen yet, at least not before the gate to be open.

They remained silent when a couple of alphas passed through them, talking and laughing to each other while carrying big cutting tool. Bokuto and Kuroo also felt others beginning to follow them, leaving the alleys to head down the street.

“What the he-...” Kuroo started to say but was cut off by his phone ringing, taking it to see the name in the caller ID. “It’s Iwaizumi.”

“What now?” Bokuto asked raising an eyebrow, “Didn’t he say that he wasn’t allowing Kyoutani to come along?”

“Yeah, that’s what he said.” Kuroo answered before taking the call. “Yo Iwa, what’s up?”

“Kuroo?!” Iwaizumi said through the line, Bokuto’s hearing peaking his voice without a problem. “Is Kyoutani there with you?”

The alphas looked at each other. “No,” said Kuroo “I thought you said he wasn’t coming.”

“And he wasn’t supposed to.” Iwaizumi growled through the line. “The idiot took off without anyone notice, but Shimizu tracked his ID being used in the Sector B’s check point.”

“Shit, so you believe he is coming here?” Kuroo asked.

“I know he is.” said Iwaizumi. “Just please keep an eye out for him for now, Daichi and I are almost there.”

“WHAT!” Bokuto screamed while Kuroo cursed. “Why are you coming with Daichi!?”

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Daichi’s voice sounded clear and pissed through the line. “And since we’re at that, care to explain why the two of you didn’t say that you were going to Sector C?”

“Well,” Kuroo started, “we did tell you that we were coming to town.”

Daichi sighed. “You’re so lucky that I’m too pissed with Kyoutani right now.”

“You and I both.” Iwaizumi said. “Asahi said he noticed him having rut symptoms, so I told him to stay at the base today. And the asshole had to sneak out!”

“What? Mad dog is wanting to enter a place full of omegas during his rut!?” Kuroo snapped. “Why didn’t you tied him to the bed!?”

“And why do you think I brought Daichi with me? We’ll probably have to force him back to the car.”

Bokuto did not hear Kuroo’s response to that, neither the rest of the others’ conversation, because of the sudden sound of an engine coming to life. Looking at the sector’s entrance, he saw the truck moving toward the opening gate. He felt his heart beat faster at that, but for some reason the gate did not remain open as he thought it would.

_The sun is setting, wasn’t this the time?_

For a second he hoped the whole rumor of this so-called event was a lie. Sure it would make it more difficult for them to get inside, but he could make it work. He just wanted to find his mate without anyone getting hurt.

However, hope did not last long when his and Kuroo’s attention were caught by something down the road. The sound of something being cut was clear to their enhanced hearing, but it was so far down the dark street that he doubted anyone with normal hearing would catch the sound. There were also the commotion of a bunch of footsteps suddenly moving away.

“What the hell?” Kuroo said with the phone still in his ear.

“What? What’s happening?” Iwaizumi asked through the phone.

Suddenly Bokuto saw movement at the fence. He looked at the top to see the same owl perked on it, but differently from the night before, it was not curious looking at him. It was ruffling its feathers and cooing frantically at him, desperately point its wings in the direction of the previous sound.

Bokuto’s heart was going to beat out of his chest.

“Kuroo, I’m going.” Bokuto said beginning to move down the street.

“What?” Kuroo said and began to run after Bokuto. “Bo, wait!”

“What’s happening there!?” Daichi’s voice demanded through the phone.

“Kuroo, what’s going on?” Iwaizumi joined frantically.

Kuroo did not respond immediately, instead focusing his energy in running after Bokuto who was getting farther away in amazing speed. Suddenly he saw the white haired alpha slow down, stopping near the fence and looking up.

“Bokuto, what the hell!”

Bokuto did not respond, looking back down and pulling a part of the fence that had just been cut open. The alphas got to the same conclusion that the people from before had probably entered the sector from this point.

Then they heard.

A bunch of screams echoing through the early night, followed by several growls, noises of people running and things breaking. The cacophony was so loud and terrifying that the beta residents of the buildings close to the border could hear it.

High pitched screams that could cut through heart and soul. Desperate sounds. Calls for help. Crying. Fear. Bokuto and Kuroo heard it all, and it was coming from near the gate.

“Shit!” Kuroo cursed pulling the phone back to his ear. “Daichi, Iwa, we’re going inside now! There is a hole in the fence down the street, about 300 meters from the gate, near a light post, so get your asses in here now!”

“We’re almost there! We can see the gate already!” Iwaizumi told him before ending the call, Kuroo doing the same.

Bokuto was already pulling the open fence and getting inside, stopping only to help Kuroo do the same. Once they were both inside, the owl flew close to him, cooing for him to hurry before flying back towards the gate.

“Cooo! Cooo!!”

“Let’s go this way!” Bokuto shouted starting to run, Kuroo did not argued.

This part of the sector belonged to the third row of buildings, and they had to dodge lots of debris, garbage and old dumpsters to move forward. Everything there was so dirty and old that it was making Kuroo sick to his stomach.

Then they saw movement coming from the opposite way. When they left an alley nearing the second street, two male omegas bumped into them and ended on the floor. The alphas stopped and looked startled at the skinny sick looking omegas, eyes wide in fear to see two huge alphas looking down at them.

“Hey, you guys ok?” Bokuto asked already reaching his hand to help them off the ground, but the omegas grabbed at each other to hold themselves up, starting to run away from them and almost falling all over the street. “Wait!”

“Damn, they’re really freaked out.” Kuroo said looking towards the opposing alley where the omegas disappeared.

Then another scream caught their attention. Looking to their right and across the street, they saw two alphas dragging a screaming woman by her legs towards another alley, a young boy running after them while crying. The boy was trying to kick the alpha’s legs, the woman screaming for him to run away.

Kuroo didn’t even realize when they moved. Next thing he knew he was throwing his fist in the alpha’s face, just as the man was about to kick the boy. The alpha was knocked out in just one hit, and Kuroo looked up in time to see Bokuto throwing the other alpha into the alley wall, with a cracking noise so loud that was heard on top of all the noises around them.

The omega woman regained her feet and hugged the boy to her chest, crouching beside a huge blue dumpster. She looked at them in panic, looking around to see if there was a way out of that alley.

“Wait, please!” Kuroo rises his hands open in the air. “We’re not going to hurt you!”

The woman said nothing, her breathing fast and heavy. She clenched tightly at the boy in her arms. Bokuto saw the young face looking terrified. She could not be much older than himself, and the boy could not be a day older than three years old.

“Wait, here!” Bokuto said while putting his hand inside his jacket pocket, getting out a chocolate bar. “Here, take it. It’s yours.”

The woman looked scared, but could not tear her eyes away from the treat. The boy’s eyes widened when his mother’s hand slowly reached for it.

Bokuto opened his hand so she could take it on her own, and saw when she gave the bar to her son. The alpha’s heart broke when a tiny smile appeared in the kid’s face when he held the candy in his hand.

Kuroo stepped to the side to give her space. “Sorry we don’t have more than that.” he said truthfully. The woman passed beside him hurryingly, but they did not miss the tiny ‘Thank you’ that she said before running into the dark street.

The alphas looked at each other, their faces said enough about what they were feeling. How could anyone allow people to be hurt like that? How can someone attack others like that?! However, they did not have much time to think about it right now, since they clearly could hear more screams all around. They also heard a tiny sound of movement, but before they could look back toward the blue dumpster, another movement got Bokuto’s attention, making then miss when the dumpster’s cover lifted itself a tiny bit, just enough for a pair of curious eyes peak at them from inside.

The owl appeared again by Bokuto’s side, screeching at him and flying out of the alley. “Come on, this way!” He told Kuroo and then ran after the bird.

“How do you even know where to go?!” Kuroo asked while running behind him.

“Just follow the owl!” Bokuto shouted back.

“WHAT Owl, Bokuto?!”

He didn’t had the time to answer, because as soon as they passed the last row of buildings, hell was breaking loose.

The place in front of the sector gate was broad and empty of constructions, only dirt, rocks and garbage spread all around. They saw the truck from earlier with its back open and a bunch of bags that were clearly thrown out of it, with quite a few of them wide open spilling its contents onto the ground. Rice, by the looks of it.

There were also a few bodies lying around and Bokuto did not want to think about the fact that not all of their chests were moving.

Place was a mess, with alphas and betas still running after a few omegas from every direction, enjoying the heat of adrenaline clear in their eyes. Kuroo saw one alpha throwing a male omega to the ground and ripping his pants from him, but the omega managed to run away as soon as Kuroo connected his right foot to the alpha’s jaw.

Then from nowhere they heard and felt a blast reaching them from behind. It was not an explosion, more like an air cannon or something. They looked in time to see an alpha be thrown away in their direction, blond hair and sentinel uniform impossible to miss.

“Kyoutani!” they screamed and rushed to the alpha’s side. The younger alpha was a bit disoriented, but his strong smell was like a blow to Bokuto’s senses. He took a few steps away to prevent from having a sense overload, leaving Kuroo to help the other.

“Dammit, Kyoutani!” Kuroo said while helping the other off the ground. “You’re in a full blow rut right now! What the hell you’re doing here?!”

“Let me go!” Kyoutani growled at him. “Let me go! He’s running away!”

“Who the hell is running away?” Kuroo snapped at him but the blond alpha was already stumbling to his feet to run back to the small store from where he was just thrown away.

Bokuto and Kuroo ran after the blond and managed to tackle him to the ground near the sidewalk in front of the store. They looked up just in time to see a couple of omegas leaving the place, but Bokuto’s brain registered only one of them.

Just a few steps away he saw it. He saw him.

Black curly hair and deep midnight blue eyes. Tall and dangerously skinny, pale skin with cuts and bruises that did not belong there.

For a moment, it was as if time had stopped. Bokuto was aware of Kuroo’s voice in the background, quickly being joined by Daichi and Iwaizumi’s voices and Kyoutani’s growling. But he paid them no mind, because a word came to his mind as soon as he saw that omega in front of him.

A word he knew. A word he craved.

“Mate?”

The last thing he saw was the omega’s eyes widening, breathing catching in his throat. Then just like a lightning cutting through the sky, the omega turned around, fleeing toward an alley and into the darkness.

And Bokuto could only hear as his own name was called by his friends in the distant, all calls being ignored as he took off running after his mate.

________________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! Was that a cliffhanger? Oya, oya, oya! I guess it was!
> 
> Well, I promised you action, and action you had! Did you liked it? How are you guys feeling? TELL MEEEEE!!!!
> 
> So… they did meet! Yay!  
> Okay, I bet some of you might want to kill me right now, but I will say this… next chapter is my favorite one this far and I believe the wait will be worth it!
> 
> You all have a great week and stay safe! See you next week!


	7. We go for Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to take him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us get the adrenaline up, shall we? Or do you think that having enhanced senses would guarantee the alphas to just catch the omegas?
> 
> Remember that every POV represents a different perspective of simultaneous events. For a better grip of things, I suggest you first go back to the previous chapter and read from when Bokuto and Kuroo entered Sector C.
> 
> Enjoy, see you at the end!

November 7th - Just before opening the gate

“Time’s up. Let’s go back.” Yaku said final when the sun began to set behind Sector B’s buildings in the distance.

“It’s not night yet!” Yahaba sighed stubbornly.

“The sun is setting jackass.” Yaku bites back. “You know it’s dangerous to walk home in complete darkness. Nightfall is nightfall, so let’s go!”

Keiji stood up from the sidewalk and put their bag on his shoulder, Yachi following suit to stand next to him. He took one last look to the parked truck in the darkening gate area. Something was off and his anxiety was beginning to rise, so it was probably a good idea to get back now.

“You know he’s right Yahaba.” Keiji told the other. “I also think it’s better for us to go home now.”

Yahaba sighed again but stood to his feet nonetheless, mumbling something about missing their only opportunity of food in a long while. He was dutifully ignored as the others began to walk away.

The place was full and it took them a while to leave the street they were in, but as soon as they managed to turn around the corner, the way was a bit emptier, allowing them to walk and even breathe better.

Scared of losing herself in the crowd, Yachi ended up latching herself on Keiji’s arm, clutching at his long sleeved shirt. When she realized what she had done they were walking almost in the second row of buildings, and she jumped away from him like a scared bird.

“I’m sorry!” She screamed while bowing her head down.

“No worries Yachi-san.” Keiji said while smiling at her. “It’s all good, you can hold my arm if you need to.”

“No… I…” she stumbled with her words, “I’m already burdening you by being here.”

Yaku approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes. “Hey, listen. You did not ask to be here, none of us did. But it’ll be alright as long as we help and protect each other, never forget that.”

Yachi looked at him with tear-filled eyes and nodded her head. Yaku and the others smiled as she began to dry her eyes with pure determination.

They all got back to walk again, and were almost in the third street when a noise was heard. It was more like a victory shout than a noise, and then multiples voices rising at once.

“It’s here!” someone shouted.

“Hurry, don’t get behind!” another said.

“The gate is opening!”

Everything happened too fast then. They looked back as soon as the shouting began, and then many people, coming from every little alley between the buildings, started to run down the street to get to the gate. Yahaba reacted first, stealing the bag from Keiji and running back toward the entrance.

“I knew we should have waited there!” he shouted to his friends while running away.

“Yahaba! Wait!” Yaku shouted at him and saw Keiji moving to follow the other. “Keiji!”

“I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble!” Keiji said. “You and Yachi-san get out of the street.” He took off running after their friend, trying to not bump into someone as the street suddenly got even more crowded than before.

“The Hell I’m leaving you alone!” Yaku shouted, “Yachi, stay close to me!”

The girl was terrified with the entire sudden ruckus around her, but managed to follow Yaku without losing him. People were coming from every direction and every route possible. They did not even know there was this many people around.

And then when Keiji was almost reaching the first street he felt a sudden massive presence. Something that weighed deep in his mind and almost took form in despair. It was a raw energy, filled while ill thoughts and bloodlust. He got dizzy and had to stop running, putting his hands on his knees to prevent falling.

“Hey, are you ok!?” Yaku was by his side in an instant.

“I- I don’t know.” Keiji said while breathing heavily. “Can you feel this?” he motioned to the air with his hand.

“Yeah, I can feel something weird.” Yaku nodded slowly. “Like a bad presence approaching fast. We need to go.” he pulled Keiji back to a standing position.

“We need to go get-”

Keiji’s line was cut out by a huge scream. A terrified one that suddenly was echoed by many others. Omegas began to stumble into each other while trying to run back against the crowd that was still trying to reach the gate.

When a bunch of people were tackled to the ground, Keiji and Yaku noticed several figures running in their direction, coming from the side street near the fence, mouths open and bright fangs in display for the world to see.

“Alphas!” Yaku shouted at the same time a male voice screamed another sentence in despair, “It’s The Hunt!”

The omegas ran in panic, not caring for the direction or whoever was in their way. The only think in their heads was to get as far away as possible from any alpha or beta. Yaku pushed Keiji towards the sidewalk and turned to reach a hand at Yachi’s direction, since the girl was froze in fear while feeling all the bloodlust swirling around them.

“YACHI!” they screamed at her. Snapping out of her shock, she began to run towards them, but an alpha jumped out of nowhere and tackled a man to the ground, inches from her. The male omega screamed in panic and grabbed her left ankle, sending her to the ground along with him.

Keiji came running to pull her away while Yaku grabbed a broken metal pole that was lying around at the front of an alley, running towards them and hitting the alpha square in the face. The alpha shouted in pain and fell to his side, blood spilling out of his nose and mouth.

The omega man shot to his feet and ran away without even looking back. Keiji got Yachi to stand back up and looked at Yaku’s back as the other was shielding them, standing in front of the alpha while holding the metal pole in position for another strike.

The alpha jumped to his feet and growled at them, never being challenged by an omega before. He spat blood through his mouth and launched at Yaku. The older omega was about to strike again when he heard Yachi’s scream and Keiji’s clear voice shouting a resounding “NO!”

The alpha’s movement stopped all along and Yaku saw the man’s eyes widening. He looked behind and saw that Yachi had clutched herself around Keiji’s waist, while the other had one arm hugging the girl’s shoulder while the other was stretched out towards him, palm open directed to the alpha. Keiji’s eyes showed nothing but fear, and Yaku knew that whatever happened was accidental.

“Keiji!” Yaku said while looking back at the alpha, standing his posture in case of another strike with the pole was to be needed. “Tell him to go away!”

Keiji blinked for a second while looking at his friend’s back, then turning to the alpha, “Go away! Leave the sector! Leave us alone!”

The alpha acted immediately, as if moved by invisible strings. He turned his body around and walked away, back to the direction he just came from. Yaku saw the opportunity and got to Keiji and Yachi, pushing the two towards the alley nearby. Darkness was setting as the night fell around them, and Yaku made the two hide behind a blue dumpster, shouts and screams still filling the air.

“Are you two okay?” Yaku said looking concerned.

“We’re fine, it was just a scare.” Keiji answered, but his breathing was still heavy. “We need to get to Yahaba.”

Yaku nodded. “I’ll go get him, you stay here with Yachi.”

Keiji looked at him with a pissed expression. “You are not leaving me behind to go to that madness alone!” He growled defiant.

Yaku was taken aback by the force of Keiji’s voice. He expected the other to protest, but his tone were stronger than anything he had ever heard the other say.

“Keiji,” Yaku started, “I need to keep you safe!”

“We keep each other safe, wasn’t that what you said before?” Keiji answered in a lower voice. “You’re my family Morisuke. I’m not losing you today.”

They both looked at each other’s eyes and Yaku sighed defeated. He got to his feet and looked around before opening the blue dumpster and looking inside.

“Ok, let’s do it then. But I’m definitely killing Yahaba when this mess is over.” He motioned to Yachi. “Yachi-san, I’m sorry, but you’re staying here.”

“What? But-” the girl began to tremble.

“We’re not leaving you behind!” Yaku hurried to explain. “But we’ll need to get there fast, and we know these streets better. Please wait here, we’ll come back for you, I promise!”

Yachi seemed to calm a bit at that. She knew she was a burden to them right now, but she was glad and thankful that they were still thinking about her. She nodded and thanked them both, taking Keiji’s hand when he went to help her get inside the dumpster.

“We’ll come back Yachi-san, don’t worry.” Keiji said kindly while helping Yaku close the dumpster’s cover back in place. They looked one last time at the tiny girl curled inside. “Stay here and don’t make a sound. You’ll be okay.”

After making sure Yachi was safe and hidden for now, Yaku grabbed the broken pole again and headed back to the street with Keiji. They both began to run toward the sector gate, passing through a couple of male omegas and then by a woman with a little boy running in the opposite direction.

When they reached the open space in front of the first street, they were met with total chaos. The truck was inside and with its back open, with all kinds of bags falling from it. There were omegas running from several alphas, while others tried to grab a bad before running away. Keiji and Yaku could not see Yahaba, but they felt his presence there and hurried toward the truck.

They were almost tackled to the ground by an alpha that jumped at them, but Yaku was on high alert and striked the pole to the alpha’s head, knocking him out cold. They got near the truck and saw his friend wrestling with a male beta, cursing at the man and delivering kicks wherever his legs could reach.

Keiji tackled the man to the ground and Yaku came to hit him with the pole. Yahaba got to his feet and went to help, but the man was already half passed out on the ground.

“Damn you asshole!” Yahaba cursed while delivering an angry kick to the man’s ribs.

“Look who’s talking!” Yaku snapped at him. “Are you satisfied? Can we go now!?”

Yahaba took a step back to where he was lying before and crouched to grab their bag from the ground, showing them the heavy weight it now carried. “Yeah, we can go now.” he said.

Keiji smirked as Yaku sighed at his idiot friends. However, before they could take a step away from there, a huge growl echoed in the night, filling their ears and freezing the blood in their veins. Yaku just managed to look behind them when someone came running in their direction.

Keiji was shocked when the body passed between him and Yaku, taking both by surprise and pushing Keiji out of the way and onto the ground. Yahaba was suddenly tackled to the ground, bag falling from his shoulder when the blond alpha snapped his huge fangs in his neck.

He screamed.

Pain and blood coming from his neck as his head became dizzy. The alpha lifted his head and Yahaba could see drops of his own blood falling from the man’s mouth. He screamed again and tried to punch the other, but the alpha was faster and stronger than anyone Yahaba ever seen before.

Yaku reacted to his friend’s scream and rushed to him, moving the pole to hit the alpha, but before the blow could connect, the alpha looked at him and grabbed at the pole mid-air. Yaku did not lose his grip, but fear and anger was written in his face when the alpha growled at him, and he tried to pull the pole back to no vain.

Suddenly their bag was flying through the air and connecting to the alpha’s face, managing to throw him of balance and to the ground, shaking his head and blinking his eyes. Yaku looked up to see Keiji putting the bag’s strap in his shoulder and lifting Yahaba to his feet.

“Come on Yahaba-san, we need to go!” Keiji said and began to drag the other back to the buildings. He knew that the alpha would not be down for long, he was clearly not weak like others they encountered before, so he needed to get them as far as possible from him.

But Yahaba left a painful whine and crumbled to his knees, almost taking Keiji down with him. Yaku came running to them and took Yahaba’s other arm to lift him back up, and then he felt the sweet smell coming from his friend.

“Freaking hell! Are you kidding me!?” Yaku exclaimed. “Are you in heat right now?!”

“I wasn’t! I swear I wasn’t supposed to be!” Yahaba cried in pain. “It’s not the time! That asshole triggered it!”

“We have to go! Now!” Keiji said desperately.

They managed to drag a stumbling Yahaba to the sidewalk near an old store with big glass windows when the alpha’s growl reached them again.

“He’s coming back!” Yahaba screamed when he looked back and saw the blonde alpha running toward them.

“Shit!” Yaku pushed Yahaba into Keiji’s arms and turned back to face the pissed off alpha, screaming to his friends over his shoulder. “Go Keiji! Run!”

Keiji tried to move faster but did not miss the blow that Yaku tried to hit the alpha with, only to be stopped again by the obviously faster male, who not only ripped the pole away from Yaku’s hand, but also delivered a kick at his side that sent the omega flying onto the street. Yaku fell still to the ground after rolling a couple times and stopping meters away from his friends.

“Morisuke!” Keiji screamed in fear at his friend’s still form, but he couldn't do anything since the blonde alpha was now charging towards them. On instinct, he rose his hand in the air and shouted for the alpha to stop.

He saw when the alpha halted his movements for a moment, shaking his head as if trying to clear his mind. Then he looked at Keiji again and charged full speed in their direction. The omegas were taken back by the presence of the male that, in his speed, could not stop himself from running into them, sending all three of them flying through the glass window and into the shop.

They all laid down on the ground for a moment, grumbling in pain from the fall and the glass shards at their backs. The blonde alpha were a few feet away, still somehow trying to clear his head. Yahaba left a sudden whine when a heat wave took over his body and the alpha snapped his attention to him. Keiji saw as the alpha’s pupils turned pinch black, pure instinct taking over.

“No…” he began to say while trying to get Yahaba to stand. “No! Go way!”

The alpha charged at them and Keiji lifted his hand while screaming, “I said GO AWAY!”

The event that followed left all three of them clueless. Keiji felt as his own mind was leaving his body and charging against the alpha, lifting the blonde up in the air and throwing him through the shattered window, flying several meters away and onto the street. Yahaba looked at it with wide eyes, he then looked at his friend to notice his heavy breathing and shocked expression.

“Keiji… what the hell was-”

“I need you to stand up!” Keiji said hurriedly, cutting his friend’s question. “Yahaba-san, I need you to stand up and be ready to run, now!”

And just as sudden as the Keiji’s outburst, Yahaba felt his body answering the command. He stumbled to his feet to feel invigorated and ready.

_What the hell?!_

“Are you ok?!” Keiji asked him with concern.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m fine now.” Yahaba said still confused.

“Good!” Keiji said with a sigh, “Let’s go get Yaku and Yachi before anyone comes to attack us again.”

“Wait, where is she?”

“We hid her in a dumpster in the alley of the second street.” Keiji answered while pulling Yahaba towards the door. “Come on, hurry!”

But the moment they stepped outside they saw another commotion in their way. The blonde alpha was being tackled by two other. Two messes of black and gray hair trying to hold the blonde one down. Keiji saw Yaku moving in the distant and was about to run to him when one of the alphas on the ground looked at him.

Straight up at him.

Gold met blue when their eyes collided with each other. Keiji suddenly felt as if looking straight at the sun and the warmth that radiated from the other was almost enough to melt his skin.

Keiji fairly noticed two other men running toward the ones on the ground, he also felt as Yahaba grabbed his arm to try snapping him out of whatever trance that golden eyes put him into. However, it was not his friend nor all the mess around that brought him back, it was a word spoken by the golden-eyed alpha himself.

“Mate?” the alpha said.

Keiji felt his heart beating out of his chest and his breathing catching in his throat. Yahaba’s eyes widened when he also heard the alpha, looking back at Keiji, fearing that the younger omega was about to be tackled down just as he was before.

“Keiji, go!” he shouted and pushed the other again. “Keiji, run now! GO!”

Keiji moved by instinct to his friend’s voice, and in a second he was turning around from that small yellow sun.

He ran.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

How long has it been since he had this feeling? It is not just the adrenaline from the chase, it is more like pure happiness about a great achievement. How long has it been, really?

Maybe he stopped feeling like a victor for a few years, at least as long as his failures at finding his mate. It is not that he does not do his job right, he is one of the strongest sentinels out there, thank you very much! It is just that it felt as he was failing himself. Himself and his other half by default.

But here he is. Finally.

He has looked everywhere for him. Looked at every corner, prayed to every single star in the sky. Waited through every hardship and setback.

Just to find him.

His beautiful and talented mate. His perfect and elegant omega. His other half with long, strong and fast... legs.

Legs that were now running away from him. In such a speed that Bokuto never saw an omega achieve before. Moving through dark streets and alleys, jumping dumpsters and rumbles, going up stairs on the side of the buildings, and basically using every single knowledge about his surroundings that Bokuto would not pretend to have.

_Too fast for his own good._

His mate was strong, he could see that. Healthy and strong, even if the odds of that were pretty low in this damn place. But the fact that the omega was managing to keep his distance from him was proof enough that he was amazing.

_Or he is just too freaking terrified._

Bokuto tried to call for the other to slow down. Tried to tell him that he was not going to hurt him. But the omega gave no clue about hearing his words, and just kept running to wherever he was going.

The alpha had the mind to notice that they were not too far from the gate per say, even running nonstop like that. Sometimes the omega would make a sudden turn, entering an empty lobby just to leave the building by a side door or a parking garage, tricking the alpha to lose sight of him anyway he can.

And it would have worked if Bokuto were not a level 5.

For more than once, he lost the omega, just to find him again through a tiny sound in the distance, a vibration of pipes in alleys or the fading movement of a cloth or curtain going back to its place.

So his mate was not just physically strong, he was incredible smart as well. And to Bokuto he was nothing but perfect. The perfect omega to his enhanced and messed self.

And because of that, he could not stop running after the omega. He wanted to reach him, make him stop, give him food and water and just talk. Talk so they can properly meet each other. Talk so he can ask him out.

_I want to take him home._

Even if home was a military base. For now it would need to do, because this sector was just too dangerous to stay.

“Wait! Please!” Bokuto shouted again when the omega was once more in sight after fooling him to a dead-end alley. He had to hike the wall and jump to the other side to not lose the omega entering in another building. “I just want to talk! Please!”

The omega once again ignored him and left through another back door, and Bokuto did not waste time in following full speed.

And that was a mistake.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was met with a plank of wood to the face. His head was tossed back and he fell onto his back, hitting the ground at full force. He felt his head dizzy and his eyes watering. His nose was bleeding so much that it was probably broken.

He tried to look up and noticed his vision blurred. He whined and tried to reach a hand in the air and regain his balance. After blinking a few times he noticed two figures hovering close, one bent down with hands in their knees, breathing hard for the sounds of it. The other was clearly smaller and was holding something in position to strike at him again.

“Wait… please…” Bokuto tried to say still dizzy.

“The hell I’ll wait!” the smaller one said, raising the apparently wooden plank to hit him again.

“Wait! Stop!” another voice said hurriedly and Bokuto saw the other one holding the plank in place.

“What do you think you’re doing, Keiji?!” the aggressive figure asked.

_Keiji…_ The name echoed like music in his ears.

“Please don’t kill him!” Keiji said. “He’s down, let’s just go.”

_Go? No, please! Don’t go!_

“He’s going to follow us!” the not-Keiji responded. “We have to knock him out first!”

But before anyone could have another word, a new not-so-new voice echoed in the night. “BOKUTO!”

Kuroo’s voice reached them and Bokuto saw as the omegas held each other’s arms before running away again. He couldn’t understand how they could still run at this point.

_Freaking adrenaline._

“Bokuto!” Kuroo kneeled by his side on the ground, fingers peeling his eyes open to see if he was conscious. “Hey buddy, you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Bokuto pushed the hand from his face and tried to stand. “Which way did they go?”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Kuroo asked, “We need to get you to a doctor. You may have a concussion.”

Bokuto whined at his friend. “Not time for it now Kuroo!” he moved to run again and Kuroo followed.

“What are you planning? To run through the whole place until morning?” Kuroo snapped at him.

“Not if I can reach him first!” Bokuto said while looking around for any clue of the omega’s presence.

The night had already fell and the streets and alleys were covered in complete darkness. The only light came from the moon itself, and both Bokuto and Kuroo were grateful for their enhanced sight. How could these people move around without running into a wall?!

They turned a corner to another alley and found it empty. There were still few people running here and there, but the most of the ruckus had receded. Although they could still hear some cries and growls coming from different places, but as they saw a few alphas and betas still walking and searching the streets, they came to realize that most of the omegas managed to hide somewhere.

“These omegas sure are sneaky.” Kuroo said, “Can’t you smell them at all?”

“Why are you asking me? Isn’t your nose also enhanced?” Bokuto shoved his friend’s arm.

“It is, thank you very much.” Kuroo said while shoving the other back, “But I’m not the one that got star trucked at first sight! How could I know his specific scent?!”

Bokuto mumbled something that Kuroo decided to ignore. They were now walking down another alley and he was starting to panic at the possibility of losing his mate’s trail. And right as that thought came to his mind, he heard a call from above.

“Cooo!!”

Bokuto looked up with wide eyes just to see that beautiful owl again, ruffing its feathers and looking impatient at him. The alpha was trying to understand how he could see the owl perfectly at this distance, even while everything else was drenched in darkness.

However, every thought was cut out when he noticed something falling full speed towards then. He jumped at Kuroo to get them to the side and away from the falling thing. The moment he moved he heard the sound of a brick smashing at the ground, throwing smaller pieces to every direction possible.

“What the hell!” Kuroo screamed when he noticed that they were almost killed not even a second ago. Bokuto was about to say something when a voice shout-whispered from where the brick had fell.

“Morisuke!” came the voice.

“Shut up and run Keiji!” was the response.

The alphas looked up in time to see the two omegas entering the building through an open window after leaving the fire escape stairs. Bokuto jumped in action and began to run up the stair himself with Kuroo in tow.

_Time for round two._

\----------------------------------------------------------

"What the hell were you thinking to try and protect that alpha?!" Yaku screamed at Keiji after they left the stairs outside. He could already feel the alpha’s presence approaching.

_Damn, he is fast._

“I don’t know Yaku.” Keiji answered sarcastically. “I’m sorry for not wanting a murder in my conscience.”

“Oh, you prefer being the one murdered then?” Yaku said using the same tone. “I can make it happen, you idiot!”

Keiji just sighed, he was too tired to fight right now. He has been running for at least 20 minutes nonstop since everything went down at the front gate, so he is just too tired for anything really. But they know that the moment they stop is the moment when they get caught.

The place they are in is an old office building, so there was basically too many empty rooms and not so many places to hide into. A few omegas had already made the place their home, so they passed some curtains and sheets during their running, along with any few belongings an omega in this condition could have.

Yaku had found him in good time, he was already running out of places to go and try to lose the alpha that was following him. As soon as Keiji ran away the alpha began to follow, and even if he was successful in keeping a good distance from him, the other did not really got too far behind.

To be honest he did have a few chances on losing the alpha, but someone, or something, decided to be in his way. Just a few minutes after fleeing, Keiji turned into an alley where two back doors led to two different buildings, managing to get inside one of them before the alpha could see. He then ran to another side street in the opposite direction to try and see if he could go back to the first street and get to his friends, but as soon as he stepped out, a huge bird came crashing down into his face.

He screamed and almost fell to the ground spitting feathers all around. He pulled the bird away from his face just to notice that it was the same gray and black horned owl, golden eyes wide while it screeched at his face.

_Why their eyes are so bright?_

But he was snapped back to reality when he heard the building’s door behind him. The alpha had probably heard the commotion with the owl, and now got his trail again. Keiji let the bird go and took off running again, but the owl stood flying by his side.

It would be a comical scene if he were not so terrified. Every time he turned a corner into an alley with obstacles that helped him get distance from the alpha, the owl would screech outraged and began to peak his head and pull his hair. In another time when he would find a place to possible hide, the owl would fly right into his face and prevent him from hiding until the alpha was too close for anything again.

And it was just like this that Yaku had found him. Keiji was just leaving an old shoe store by its back door when Yaku saw him, seeing the raven omega waving his arms in the air as if trying to shoo something away. Keiji ran to the third street and saw Yaku across from it, the smaller one noticing the alpha just exiting the same door his friend just came from.

“Keiji!” Yaku shouted to him and pointed to a building with big windows and stairs in its front. Keiji recognized the building and remembered that they had used it to lose alphas during others hunts before, so he understood the strategy his friend was aiming for.

So he ran towards the building entrance while Yaku ran to the alley by its side. He noticed that the alpha ran across the street without even looking around, too focused on Keiji himself to notice anything else. Once inside, the omega took the long way around an old indoor fountain to give his friend some time, and then with the alpha in tow, ran to the back exit.

Keiji saw Yaku peeking inside the exit hallway just as he was approaching, nodding to him once before hiding away. The raven omega passed running through the door and looked back in time to see his friend swinging a wooden plank right in the alpha’s face. The hit connected so perfectly that Keiji flinched, and the sound that came from it was the certain telltale of a broken nose.

The alpha fell to the ground like a sack of garbage, whining and raising his hands in an attempt to move. Somehow, it made Keiji sad, he did not know why, but he did not want the alpha to be hurt, even if he was making him run for his life right now. Although Yaku seemed pissed and was ready to just kill the man right on the spot.

However, another voice echoed from the street and suddenly there was another alpha running in their direction, and Yaku just grabbed at Keiji’s arm and pulled him to run away again. They managed to run a bit farther and hide inside an alley so Keiji could catch on his breathing.

“Are you alright?” Yaku had asked him at that moment.

“Yeah… fine.” Keiji answered while obviously tired enough. “Where is Yahaba?”

“I told him to go get Yachi and then meet us by the old book shop in the fourth block.” his friend said while looking around to see if the path was clear. “But we need to lose these guys first. I should have hit him harder.”

Keiji snorted. “Yeah, no. I think you did hit him hard enough.”

Yaku smirked proudly and looked up. “I remember this place. I think this building has a side entrance that leads to the other block near the fence. We can cross from inside to get away faster than following the street.” he said.

Keiji agreed and they got up to enter the building, but before they could reach the entrance, they felt the alphas presence just down the street.

“Shit! Go back.” Yaku said while pushing Keiji back into the alley. They looked around for another exit but noticed that it was a dead end.

Then they noticed the fire escaped at the wall and went for it. Keiji gave Yaku a lift up and then jumped to grab his extended hand. With the help of each other, they managed to go up the stairs as silent as possible, getting to the top just in time to look down and see the alphas walking into the alley. They stopped at the sixth floor so their movement would not jolt the stair and get the alphas’ attention.

Keiji could hear whispers of their talking, but looking at his side he noticed that the open window was big enough for them to pass, and when he turned to Yaku to show him the way, he saw as the other was grabbing a brick from the ground where the wall had a hole. Keiji looked terrified as his friend threw the brick down aiming for the alphas, narrowly missing them.

And now here they are, running away again after Yaku’s last attempt of murder. They needed to lose the alphas again if they want to go back and find the others anytime soon. They were running down the inside stairs now, practically jumping down the six flights as fast as possible.

“I have another idea.” Yaku said. “Remember the old parking garage with the back door near the sewer ditch? Let’s go there!”

“They’ll not fall for the same trick twice!” Keiji told him.

“I know. Let’s just do it a bit different.” Yaku said final.

They ran to the said building, getting inside and running toward the back exist. The alphas were getting even closer now that the omegas were getting tired from the endless running, seeing as they took the hallway to the back exit just like before.

As proof of being more alert than the first time, the gray haired alpha dunked down just in time as another flying object aimed for his head as soon as he ran through the back door. The raven-haired alpha coming second saw his friend dunk, smirking and holding the metal pole as it did not connected to the first target.

Yaku looked to the alpha that dodged his blow and them to the raven one that held his pole in the air. But as the alpha smirked down at him, he gave a smirk himself. The alpha seemed a little confused as the omega did not seem scared since their plan was a bust, widening his eyes and looking around to see where the other one had got.

This whole ordeal happened too fast, and the next moment, Keiji was running down the hallway toward them. While Yaku had got outside to hit the alphas, Keiji had hid inside a broom closet, just in time for the alphas to pass running, so that he could surprise them from behind.

Keiji ran full speed and tackled the raven alpha, pushing him forward with all his body weight. They did not had room to react at the narrow passage, so the raven alpha just tumbled forward, right into the other one, sending both to fall down in the sewer ditch.

Yaku saw it coming and released the pole just in time, leaving the raven alpha with nothing to balance himself during the fall. The omega also grabbed at Keiji’s ankles so that he would not fall along with the others.

The ditch was deep enough to hold them for a while, but not enough to be a lethal fall. It was also filled with rotten water and god knows what else. The omegas looked for a moment before running away again, but they did not miss the whining and curses at their backs.

Before running, Keiji looked for a moment at the sad golden orbs that stared back at him. He mumbled a tiny ‘sorry’ before following his friend back to the street.

“That should hold them for a while.” Yaku told him. “The sides of that ditch are full of mud and moss, and it’s too deep to just jumping out.”

“Ok, right.” Keiji said. “Where to now?”

“Let’s go to the fourth block to meet the others.”

“Are you sure they were fine, though?” Keiji asked while they jogged across the street. “What about the alpha that was aiming for Yahaba?”

“There were two other alphas holding that blonde one down.” Yaku answered. “I couldn’t do much because I needed to get to you, so I told Yahaba to go get Yachi. The alpha was still on the ground when we both left.”

However, before either of them could say anything else, someone ran straight at them coming from a corner in the street, smashing at them and taking everyone to the ground. Yaku and Keiji grumbled in pain as the third person stood up first.

“Oh, hey guys.” said Yahaba. “Glad to know you’re still alive!”

“What the hell you’re doing you idiot?!” Yaku snapped at their friend.

But before Yahaba had time to answer, a growl came from the distance and they saw the blonde alpha running in their direction. Again.

Yahaba jumped to his feet, mumbled a hurried ‘gotha go’, and took off running down the street. Yaku just had time to cover Keiji’s head when the blonde alpha came running and jumped over them as if they were a box of shoes, heading straight after the other omega.

Yaku and Keiji got to their feet and ran after them. Unlike Keiji, Yahaba was running straight down the street, which made it more difficult to set a trap for the alpha, so the plan that came to mind was one that they also did in a similar situation before.

“Yahaba!” Yaku shouted with all his might. “Move 7!”

Yahaba just bumped a fist in the air to signal that he had heard his friend. He continued to run as fast as he could toward the first street, the same one where they were first attacked. He could sense the alpha getting closer and closer to him, but he trusted his friends. He knew they would manage something to save him.

So he ran. The streets were already pinch dark, with only moonlight to guide their way. When he got to the first street and then to the open ward leading to the gate, he ran straightforward to the side fence. Most of the place was drenched in darkness, and they could not see more than a few meters away.

But Yahaba knew the distance, just like every omega that lived there for years. When approaching the fence he slowed down until fully stopping, turning around to have his back pressed against the fence.

He more felt than saw the blonde alpha running straight at him, so blind in his anger that he did not slow down for a second. Everything happened too fast then. Yahaba jumped to the side and away from the fence, while the alpha crashed into it seconds later. The impact was so strong that it rocked that whole part of the fence, and the blonde alpha fell to the ground with a shout of pain.

He quick tried to regain his footing though, looking at Yahaba with pinch black pupils. However, as soon as he made the movement to rise up, Yaku and Keiji came running right into him, throwing the alpha back at the fence with all their weight and the force of their run.

The two omegas whined in pain on the ground. Yaku was grabbing at his left shoulder while Keiji was feeling a pain on his right side every time he pulled a breath. Yahaba came running to help the two up so they could flee. The alpha was almost knocked out, but he could not say how long it would last.

“Come on,” Yahaba said while pulling Keiji to his feet, “come on, up, up, up!”

“Oh god…” Yaku whined. “I hate you both so much right now.”

Keiji was about to say something too when a shout came towards them. Someone was calling a name, probably the alpha’s name, and their presence was approaching.

“We need to go!” Keiji said. “Someone is coming, come on!”

The omegas began to run in the dark and back towards the buildings, guiding themselves only by instinct.

“Where is Yachi?” Yaku asked while running.

“I left her behind when that alpha jumped us again!” Yahaba answered. “Told her to hide somewhere, but I don’t know if she listened!”

Suddenly a huge light came from the sky, so big and bright that it light up all the open space between the fence and the first row of buildings. The omegas flinched from the sudden light and heard the noise of a helicopter right above them, how they had not realized that sound until now was a mystery.

They tried to run faster, but then the shooting started.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Iwaizumi was so sure they were going to get an earful from the commander later. The whole deal just escalated to something they would have never imagined. And all he wanted was to help his friends’ health.

But everything backfired. Why? Because said friends are complete morons.

First, there was Kyoutani.

Iwaizumi understood the younger alpha’s eagerness to find a mate, he really did. The blonde was strong and determined, level 4 sentinel with a bright future, even if still needing to work on his manners. But he was a good person, and they all knew that, he just needed a little push in the right direction.

Iwaizumi saw Kyoutani as a kouhai that still needed help and guidance, and he wanted to give any help possible. However, he also knew that the other recognized strength as dominance, and would not follow anyone that he deemed weaker than him. That was what got him in their squad in the first place. Not following orders from seniors alphas he thought he could beat earned him a place in Sentinel Division IV.

And even in their squad, the blond alpha needed to be beaten to learn to listen. First of all, he did not considered the age an important aspect, which meant that any other level 4 alpha was not his superior unless proved stronger. Which also meant that Daichi had to give him the beating of a lifetime as the squad captain the first time he got to their group. Bokuto was another ordeal. Being level 5 somehow meant that he was Kyoutani’s superior, but the alpha’s goofy nature immediately threw the blonde’s recognition through the window.

But Iwaizumi was a special case. At the beginning, Kyoutani not even acknowledged Iwaizumi as a sentinel, due to none of his senses being enhanced. He said that so many times that it pissed the other to no end, resulting in both of them having some kind of a makeshift duel, witch Iwaizumi won by knockout. After that Kyoutani challenged the older alpha whenever was possible, and their friendship and mutual respect grew from there.

And that is why Iwaizumi wanted to help him find a mate.

It was not a secret in their squad how much Bokuto suffered all these years without one, and Iwaizumi could see Kyoutani following the same path. So when they heard that Sector C might have unmated omegas, he looked for the right information and was planning to go there himself with the blonde to ensure that they could look for anyone that the younger approved.

But then Asahi told him about the possibility of Kyoutani’s rut to come, and he had to call off the plan. He knew that it was not a good idea to go like this, since a young unmated alpha would most certainly lose himself to the instincts the moment he smelled an omega. Therefore, he told the other to stay at the base at all costs, even threatening to lock him up in his room until their departure the next night.

But all it needed was one distraction for the other to flee. Iwaizumi was basically keeping guard outside Kyoutani’s room as the alpha was supposedly sleeping before his rut hit full force, and all it took was Iwaizumi to look away for less than three minutes.

_Damn Oikawa Tooru and his whining about not finding his hair gel to be packed for the road tomorrow!_

Therefore, he had to come by to retrieve this specific idiot, that could not even think and change his freaking uniform before coming and scare the shit out of some random omega. Even if he was apparently attracted by this one light brown haired omega specifically.

Then, there was Bokuto, in this case, idiot number 2.

In his defense, Bokuto is somehow controlling himself better than expected, which was great, because Iwaizumi knew that the alpha would be nearly impossible to stop if instincts ran free in there. Even with Kuroo, Daichi and Iwaizumi himself there.

But then a raven-haired omega steps out of the building and suddenly Bokuto is disappearing like a lightning between buildings and alleys. It was already too dark for Iwaizumi to see anything in the distance in this place with no light posts, so he could not really tell where the other had ran off to.

“Bokuto, wait!” Kuroo had shouted as soon as the alpha took off running.

“Bokuto Koutarou! Get your ass back here!” Daichi commanded at the same time, but it all fell on death ears as the other ran away.

Kyoutani, noticing that one of his captors had taken off, tried to free himself from Kuroo, especially when the omega he was eyeing ran to another one that was just rising from the ground a few meters away. Iwaizumi and Daichi noticed it though, both jumping to keep the blonde alpha on the ground.

The omegas talked rushed to each other before looking at the alphas and deciding if it was safe to turn their backs to them, but apparently they thought that following the raven one that was being chased was more important, since in the next moment they were both running to the middle of the buildings and away from them.

Kyoutani visibly relaxed as soon as the omegas were off his sight. The others noticed as his shoulders slumped and his pupils were slowly getting back to its normal self. Kuroo then raise up and turned to his friends.

“I need to go find Bo, that shorty omega said something about having a plan to go after him.” Kuroo said concerned. “Can you two handle Kyoutani now?”

“Yeah, I guess we are good for now. Right?” Daichi said while looking at the blonde alpha. “But be careful and get Bokuto to the base even if you have to drag him out of this sector.” he finished towards Kuroo.

Kuroo just saluted and ran away, leaving the other three alone in this god-forsaken place. Iwaizumi and Daichi had seen enough while running from the opening in the fence to the place near the gate. All the garbage and total darkness, the screams and cries for help. They managed to knock out an alpha and a beta that were attacking a few omegas in their way.

The omegas scared away from them as if they had the plague. There was even a silver haired one that looked terrified, crying for mercy when Daichi went to help him of the ground. Iwaizumi noticed that the omega reminded him of Suga, and did not miss the sadness in Daichi’s eyes when the omega ran away from him.

Therefore, with Kyoutani subdued they decided to leave the sector and head back toward their car parked outside the fence. Each alpha had a strong grip to the younger’s shoulders all the way back to the makeshift exit, and the way was so dark among the buildings and away from moonlight that they had to walk carefully, since Daichi was the only one with enhanced touch among the three of them.

However, things got complicated when they reached the hole in the fence and noticed police officers near the parked car. In their hurry to get to the sector, Daichi just parked the car near the fence where Kuroo had told them the passage was, not caring to look for a proper place to stop.

“Shit.” Daichi whispered. “Wait a minute, I’m going to see if they can let us leave without more trouble.”

Iwaizumi just nodded and watched as Daichi approached the officers slowly, greeting them good night. He looked at Kyoutani by his side, but the younger alpha was somewhat calmer, even if his posture was a little bit in alert right now.

“Good night gentlemen,” Daichi said to the three alpha officers, “this is my car, can I help you with anything?”

“Oh, so you are the one that left the car here?” One of them said sarcastically. “Don’t you know this is a no-parking area? Do you see any other car around here asshole!?”

“Calm down man,” said another officer before Daichi could, “Guy just wanted to have fun in the Hunt, probably his first one. So buddy, how did it go?” he asked with a smirk and a nod toward the other side of the gate.

Daichi’s face turned red and he wished for none of the others to have enhanced sight, because right now he was furious.

“Well, fun or not, he can’t park here. It’ll rise suspicious.” said the first one again.

“Yeah, yeah.” the second officer dismissed with a wave of his hand. “As if the screams couldn’t be heard two blocks away. Those bitches are too loud.”

Iwaizumi almost growled at that and he forgot about Kyoutani for a second, not noticing that the blonde suddenly lift his head when he got a knowing scent coming from inside the sector. Daichi was also focused in the police officers and was trying with all his might to remain calm, the sight of that poor omega that looked like his mate still present in his mind. His eyes full of terror as he ran away crying.

“Are we good to just leave now?” Daichi asked with clenched teeth.

“Yeah, sure man.” said the second officer. “Just make sure to park somewhere else next time!”

“There won’t be a next time.” Daichi responded dryly.

“Oh, hey!” The third officer that was silent until now pointed at Kyoutani. “Isn’t that one wearing a Sentinel uniform?”

Daichi and Iwaizumi froze hearing that, turning slowly towards the blonde alpha, slowly enough to miss the change in his features. Kyoutani suddenly growled with black pupils and turned to run back inside the sector, slapping Iwaizumi’s hand away from his shoulder and passing through the hole again.

Iwaizumi cursed and ran after him, Daichi was about to do the same but the second officer laughed and the first one spoke again.

“Well, guess blondy wasn’t satisfied enough to leave after all.” said the second.

“Hey, if you are sentinels, we’re going to have to report to the gate.” said the first one.

“Why is it necessary?” Daichi asked.

“It’s the policy.” the officer answered. “Sentinels need a special permission to come to the Hunt. Something about keeping the event in the down low or something.”

Daichi was about to say something else but he could hear Kyoutani growling in the distance, and he knew that Iwaizumi would have trouble keeping up with the blond in those dark streets. It was not that he did not trust the alpha’s abilities, it was just that it was really difficult to move there, even with enhanced sight, which Iwaizumi did not have.

“Do as you please.” Daichi said before dunking back to the hole and into the sector, not caring for the officers’ response. He would deal with the consequences later.

Iwaizumi was running after Kyoutani with all his might, but the unknown terrain was definitely slowing him down. When he managed to get back to one of the large streets he saw the blonde alpha jumping at the same omega from before. The omega just pushed a smaller girl to the side and took off running from the alpha, they were near an empty book shop in a back street at least three or four blocks away from the gate, but unfortunately too close to the fence where the opening was.

_He probably got the omega’s scent again when those officers stopped us._

Iwaizumi ran after them again, just stopping to see if the girl was ok, but when she saw him approaching, her eyes widened and she clutched at a big blue bag that the other omega had tossed at her a moment before running. He raised his hands in the air to show her that he did not mean any harm, only telling her to get out of the street before giving up and following the others.

Iwaizumi ran all the way down the street, hearing as someone shouted something about a ‘move 7’, so he prayed to be going the right way. When he got back to the first street he could see better, since the moonlight was shining better there.

He then saw a bunch of people running in the distance, recognizing Kyoutani among them. He saw through the omegas’ plan at the spot, since the one that the alpha was chasing was clearly playing the bate. He ran again but was too far to prevent the other two to slam themselves on the alpha, throwing him at the fence and falling down along.

_Desperation really make people do crazy things._

Iwaizumi called for the alpha and ran to his side. He did not care for the three omegas that scared away from him, really hoping that they could just disappear from their sight as soon as possible. He then recognized the two that were supposedly being chased by and chasing after Bokuto earlier.

_Where the hell are the two other morons then?_

“Hey, you alright?” he asked Kyoutani while rushing to his side. The alpha just mumbled some painful sound and looked completed done for the night. “Well, guess you are deserving a concussion right now, asshole.” he said final.

Then a bright light came from the sky and suddenly all the field near the gate was illuminated. Iwaizumi had to shield his eyes for a moment before looking around him, noticing a helicopter above the place and also a military truck by the gate. There was someone on top of the truck with a megaphone in hand, but before anything could be said, the helicopter began shooting toward the ground.

Iwaizumi jumped on top of Kyoutani, pressing the other to the ground and protecting their heads. He then looked at the omegas running and saw as the ground around then was getting hit by the bullets, but not striking at any of them. They were warning shots, at least for now.

“Stand down, right now!” Came a deep voice from the figure with the megaphone. “We’ll won’t warn you a second time.”

Everyone just stood frozen in place as the voice continued. “This Hunt is over. Every alpha and beta return to the gate immediately.”

Iwaizumi saw as several individuals began to come out from the row of buildings, some with satisfied smiles in their faces, others mumbling in frustration. There were even the ones in groups, shoving at each other and laughing like frat boys coming back from a party.

It made Iwaizumi sick to his stomach. He got to his feet and pulled Kyoutani up, the younger still conscious but clearly dizzy. Iwaizumi looked toward the building in time to see Daichi standing at the edge of the first street, looking behind in the direction where Bokuto and Kuroo appeared jogging toward him. He noticed Daichi’s signal for him to walk to the gate and began moving in that direction.

Kyoutani then mumbled something about his supposed omega and Iwaizumi looked back at the three figures still on their feet. He also noticed Bokuto trying to approach the raven omega, but being held back by Kuroo when the shorter one moved to shield his friend from the alpha.

But that movement was a mistake.

Iwaizumi was close enough to the gate to hear a voice saying ‘take the omegas down’, and then he realized a soldier lowered on the top of the truck, holding a sniper rifle by the megaphone-man’s side.

A second later a shot hit the raven omega’s back, throwing him to the ground. The shorter one screamed his name and ran to him, just to be hit before falling on his side. The third one, the one Kyoutani was chasing earlier, was hit similarly while running to his friends.

Two shouts were heard echoing in the night. The first and louder one came from Bokuto, who ran to the omega and kneeled by his side, clearly wanting to touch the other but not daring to. Iwaizumi did not notice when he lowered Kyoutani to the ground and jogged to the omegas himself, looking at them but noticing that they were all still breathing.

The other shout came from the same blond girl from before, as she saw the others being shot and tried to run to their side. Daichi stopped her before she could do it, making her stay by the buildings and slightly shielding her from the shooter’s aim from the gate. Daichi walked toward the others leaving the girl to slump to the ground, still clenching at the blue bag and crying into it.

“No!” Bokuto shouted while kneeled in front of the raven omega. “No, no, no! Why did they shot him!? He wasn’t doing anything!”

“Bokuto! Calm down!” Kuroo said while shaking his friend. “He’s still breathing! It was probably darts to knock them out!”

“Good to know that one of you still has a brain.” said a new voice.

They all looked up to see that the man with the megaphone had entered the gate and was now walking toward them. All of them recognizing him at the spot.

“Commander.” Daichi said while walking toward the man and standing between him and his friends. “I didn’t expected to see you here, Sir.” he saluted the other.

“Well, imagine my surprise, Captain Sawamura, when I heard the report from the gate that a Sentinel had been seen around here.” the commander said dryly. “Had to come and see who exactly was ditching their duties for tomorrow’s departure.”

“I can assure you Sir that all preparations are ahead of schedule at the base.” Daichi said respectfully.

“I see. And what all of you are doing here?” the commander asked.

However, before Daichi could answer, Bokuto raised from the ground and aimed for the commander, shouting at him full of rage.

“Why the hell did you shot my mate, you son of a-”

Kuroo and Iwaizumi tackled him to the ground before he could finish his line. Daichi took a deep breath without looking away from the commander’s face, who had just looked uninterested to the commotion before looking back at the squad captain.

“Oh, I see now.” the commander said. “Which one?”

Daichi was taken aback by this. “The raven one Sir.” And when the commander just nodded toward the blonde alpha at the ground by the gates, Daichi complemented. “And Kyoutani was after that one there.” he pointed to the omega that was farther from the other two.

The commander then made a signal and two gate officers came inside. “Take these two and send them to the Sentinel base at the Alpha Sector.” he ordered. “And then make sure everyone is out before locking the gate. And go fix that damn fence hole!”

The officers went to grab the omegas and Bokuto growled at them, just to be held tighter by his friends. They all watched as the omegas were taken away into the truck outside.

“I expect all of you at my office by tomorrow morning, Captain Sawamura.” the commander said final before turning around to leave the sector. The alphas, minus Bokuto, saluted him and looked at each other.

“If they hurt him-” Bokuto began.

“You will keep your mouth shut for now!” Daichi cut him out. “Let’s go, things are bad enough like this.”

They all began to walk away as police officers came inside with guns to make sure everyone was leaving the sector. But none of them missed as the blond girl came running toward the short omega that was left behind.

She kneeled by his side and cried harder, picking his head and laying it on her lap to somehow try to make the other a little more comfortable. Her cries could be heard from outside, and the alphas silently prayed to the stars that somehow those two would be alright in the morning.

\---------------------------------------------------

It was hot. Too hot. Like sunny hot.

Why was it hot if the winter was approaching?

Yaku opened his eyes and was greeted by a blue sky and a bright sun. He had to blink for a moment to be able to see anything, but when he could, he realized that it was not the sun that was keeping him warm.

He was lying on the ground with his head on Yachi’s lap, the girl looking at him with tear-filled eyes. He also noticed some kind of a shield, or more like a force field around them both, not only protecting them, but also keeping them warm.

He sat down and she began to cry again, thanking him for being alive and saying that she did not really know what to do, because some omegas began to come to them during the night to try stealing their bag. Yaku looked at the blue bag on the ground beside them and smiled.

“So you protected it.” Yaku said to her. “I told you were powerful Yachi-san.”

“But… but I…” she said while crying. “But I could not do anything! I couldn’t stop the Sentinels from taking Keiji-san and Yahaba-san.”

Yaku’s eyes widened at that. He looked toward the gate and felt his heart breaking.

He did it. He finally lost Keiji. He could not keep him safe as he promised his mother he would.

But before he could fall into despair, he heard her loving voice. The same beautiful voice that always came back to him in times of need.

_It’s all right sweetheart. You will find him again. You will keep him safe like you always have._

Yaku smiled toward the sky and thanked his mother inside his heart.

_I love you my baby boy!_

Yaku stood to his feet ignoring the dizziness in his head and looked back at Yachi. “Are you sure they were sentinels?”

“Yes!” she answered jumping to her feet. “I heard the older one telling some officers to send them to the base in Sector A!”

“Alright, let’s go!” he picked the bag from the ground and began to walk back to the street and the buildings of Sector C.

“Where are we going?” Yachi asked while keeping up with him.

“I’m going to take you back to Suzumeda-san.” he told her. “Then I’ll come back here and find a way to get to the others. I’m getting them back.”

“But…”, Yachi said with doubt. “How will you do it? It is dangerous! They can kill you.”

Yaku stopped walking and looked at her. The girl’s eyes were filled with fear and he tried to smile, petting her hair lovingly.

“I know it’s dangerous Yachi, but Keiji and Yahaba are my family. Our family.” he then looked toward the sector’s gate, the buildings and the streets beyond it. “And we always face danger for family.”

_________________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! Welcome back people!  
> It is finally here, my favorite chapter this far! I loved writing it and I hope you liked it as well!  
> So, how was it???
> 
> Hey CheCheCheer, I believe we’re still in need of a Prison Break for Yaku, aren’t we?
> 
> I put some easter eggs from last chapter in there! Did you guys get it?!
> 
> Hope you guys liked it! Have a wonderful week and thank you for all the comments and Kudos!  
> See you next week!


	8. The Cost of Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends. That was the word he discovered he never really knew until now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning everyone, here is a present for the IwaOi fans!
> 
> Also, this chapter has mentions of illness and seizure, so read carefully.
> 
> See you at the end, enjoy the big chapter!

Darkness was the first thing to greet him when he opened his eyes. Cold was a close second.

Darkness and cold surrounded him from head to toes, drowning him in complete empty and loneliness. He tried to turn his head around to see something, anything, but he could not even see his own hands in front of his face. Dark. It was just too dark.

Until it wasn’t.

_“Keiji?”_ Came the voice. Her voice. Along with a ray of light from inside darkness itself, so bright that he had to cover his eyes and blink a couple of times to adjust to it.

“Mom?”

He took a step forward and suddenly light surrounded him while pushing darkness away. Next thing he knew, he was in a huge room, empty of everything but an old chair on it farthest wall. Old and crumpling into itself, deteriorated by decades of no use or care.

Keiji looked around the throne room, this one completely different from his previous nightmare. It had closer walls made primarily of wood or something like it, different from the cold stonewalls from before. He took one last look at the chair and turned to leave the room.

When he got to the door to look outside he heard another knowing sound.

“Cooo!!” the happy sound echoed and he saw the horned owl flying towards him from the open sky. It perked itself on his right shoulder and _cooed_ again with bright golden eyes. “COOO!”

“Oh, so now you’re happy.” Keiji said deepening his frown to the bird. “Weren’t you freaking out on my face last night?”

_Last night? Why am I thinking about last night?_

The owl curled in shyly, raising one of its wings to lightly brush it against Keiji’s cheek. He rose one of his eyebrows to the bird trying to sweet-hoot at him and gave a sigh.

“Cooo…” came the tiny sound, just like an apology.

“Well, I guess you couldn’t help it, right?” Keiji said while petting the owl’s head. The bird beamed at him, closing its eyes and rubbing its head on the side of Keiji’s face. “Were you trying to tell me something?”

All he got as an answer was something equivalent to a purring sound coming from the bird while it still rubbed its head on his face. _Can owls even purr?_ He then chuckled and began walking down the balcony.

It was a beautiful place, wherever it was. He understood that it was an old and big castle, clearly historical in its eastern style, but too old, dirty and musty. However, even like this it had beauty in it, a longing and yearning one.

Moreover, the outsides were perfect. From the balcony at least three or four stores high, Keiji could see mountains and valleys in the distance. There was a little glow in the horizon beyond the trees that could indicate that the bright sunlight was being reflected by a possible lake somewhere. Looking down he saw an old garden with a pond, flowers and petals scattered without planning.

“Where are we?”

“Cooo!”

The owl flew ahead of him in circles as it waited for Keiji to follow, happy to guide the human to wherever it was going. Keiji just followed, somehow deciding that any direction would be a good direction at this point.

Apparently, the owl did know the way, since it turned a few steps ahead to guide Keiji down the stairs and to the ground floor of the castle. They were aiming for the door while crossing the great entrance hall when the noise began.

Suddenly everything turned back into darkness when the night fell outside, leaving just a few rays of moonlight to enter through the cracks in the walls and ceiling. Keiji began to hear screams and cries from afar, never knowing from which direction it was coming from.

Someone began to knock violently at the door from outside the castle, clearly trying to take it down with brute force. The smell of burned wood and flesh assaulted Keiji’s nose and he would have thrown up if there were anything in his stomach.

People began to run around him in panic, coming from every direction and disappearing just as so. It were not real people, he could see that their bodies were like smoke and wind, circling and passing through him like ghosts, but their features were as visible as the terrified look on their faces.

_Like echoes from the past._

He was aware of the owl screeching at him to run away, but fear kept him in place. It was all too much, since he was not only seeing all these panicked people, he was somehow feeling their panic as if it was his. And it eventually became his own.

When the door finally fell, he looked to see several men in full military gear entering the place, not even waiting before raising their weapons and starting to shoot at everyone that was running around.

The ghosts fell one by one as they were hit by several bullets at once, letting a cry of pain before disappearing in a red fog that began to fill the large room. He saw women, children and elders being shot alike, not even blinking before another one was dying again right in front of his eyes.

Then a bullet hit his left shoulder and he let out a cry. That really hurt him enough to take him out of his shock. He looked toward the door to see a man looking back at him. It was a soldier by the looks of it, but clearly higher ranked than the others around. The white uniform with medals on it making it obvious his commander status. The man aimed again, and Keiji knew that the next shot would hit his head.

_He is going to kill me!_

Then he heard the owl screeching at him, but its cry was different from all the previous ones. It was as if a human voice was also mixed with the animal sound. He could not understand words, but he felt the urgency in it. Looking to the side, he saw the bird flying directly at him, bright golden eyes shining stronger than ever. 

Keiji heard the gunshot, smelled the gunpowder and felt the bullet’s approach as if watching everything in slow motion. But all he did was stare at the bird flying to him, wanting to reach for it, to have it in his arms to feel safe again. 

But it was not a bird anymore.

In seconds the creature shifted, taking the form of a man. It was so fast that Keiji just noticed the change when he felt the huge body jumping at him to push him down to the ground. Strong arms circled his shoulders and a big hand covered his head only a second before the bullet hit.

He smelled blood when his body hit the floor, but the pain he expected to feel never came. Instead, he saw grey feathers falling by his side, looking up just in time to see a sparkle of gold in the form of two globes carrying the light of the early sun.

Then darkness was all he saw once again.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Keiji shot up on the bed breathing hard while trying to flee from his most recent nightmare. He looked around to focus on his friend that would come running inside the room at any moment to calm him down. However, the room was too bright. Too excessively bright. Too unusually bright.

And no one came running for him through the door.

“Keiji!” came a voice from his left. “Keiji, calm down. Wake up! It’s me!”

Keiji blinked trying to focus his sight in this bright white room. He was seated in a bed covered with a thin white sheet, still on his own clothes with his old boots at the floor. He looked around to see that the room had at least five more beds, which made the place feel crowded since the space was not that much large.

Two beds away to his left he saw his friend. Yahaba was looking at him with concern, eyes darting to Keiji’s face to look for signs of distress.

“Yahaba-san,” Keiji sighed in relief. “Are you alright? Where are we?”

“In prison obviously,” Yahaba answered sarcastically, “or in hell. Take your pick.”

“You know it’s neither of that.” came a new voice and Keiji shot a look to the other side of the room. Two people were seating on the bed across from Yahaba’s, one with grey hair and a kind smile, the other a little shorter with black hair covering most of his face, but Keiji could see golden eyes analyzing him from afar.

“Oh yeah?” Yahaba scowled at the other male. “And how do you explain this?” he lifted his right arm to show the handcuff attaching him to the side of the bed.

Keiji frowned at that. He looked at himself but did not find any restrainer on him, thank god. However, he looked around again to see for any threats that could come in their way. He was also very aware of the golden eyes still fixed on him.

“You shouldn’t have tried to attack the alpha doctor.” the grey haired male sighed to Yahaba while massaging his own forehead. “Especially in the presence of others. Asahi is a good guy, but his assistants could snitch to someone if he did not take the right precautions. You can have them out if you behave.” he completed pointing at the cuffs.

Yahaba grumbled and cursed lowly to himself, but also loud enough for the others to hear. The grey haired one sighed again and stood to his feet, approaching Keiji’s bed with a smile. He did not get too close, standing by the end of the bed to talk to him.

“Welcome to Tokyo’s Sentinel Base Yahaba-san, Keiji-san.” he said happily. “It is good to finally have names to put up with your faces.” he smirked to Yahaba, making the other curse too loud this time.

“Names?” Keiji asked in confusion.

“Well, yeah.” the other smiled to him. “Your friend here didn’t want to tell us your names at all, but since you guys just called each other, we don’t need to call you guys ‘new omegas’ anymore. Want to tell me your full name?”

“It’s just Keiji.” he answered after a moment. No point in lying now since Yahaba did just called his name, and so did he to the other.

“Oh, you sure?” the other said. “We’re not going to put a spell on you or anything.” he completed playfully.

“Just Keiji.” he said final.

The man blinked but decided to leave it at that for now. He looked at Yahaba with a questioning look.

“I’m not giving you my given name if that’s what you’re asking for.” Yahaba scoffed at him.

“Alright, we go with just that for now.” the other sighed but smiled again after. “My name is Sugawara Koushi, and as I told Yahaba-san before, you can call me Suga while between friends. And this is Kozume Kenma. We are empath omegas from Sentinel Division IV, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Keiji looked at the man with widening eyes. So they were in a Sentinel base. This was bad, too bad. He then looked in fear to his friend.

“Where is Yaku?” he asked Yahaba and the other gave him a soothing nod.

“He’s not here. Apparently they just brought the two of us.” Yahaba answered.

“So he’s still there?” Keiji said, “Did they hurt him when they brought us?”

“I don’t think so,” Yahaba frowned “I was shot last, so I know he was out on the ground when they hit me.”

“If you are talking about your friend, Captain Sawamura said that a third omega was left at your sector.” Sugawara’s voice startled both of them, since in their worry they just started talking about his friend and forgot they were not alone in the room. “He should be fine, since he was hit by the same tranquilizers you were. Probably already awake by now.” he completed.

“Fine!?” Yahaba growled. “None of us is fine! We were chased and kidnaped, and Yaku was shot and left behind unprotected. Where on earth you could call this fine!?”

A heavy silence fell inside the room while Sugawara looked at the floor and scratched behind his neck. Keiji felt somehow relieved. He knew that anything could have happen to Yaku during the night, and even if he were not injured, he would wake up away from his friends, with no information of their well-being or current location.

_Don’t freak out Morisuke. Please stay strong._

“Look,” Sugawara began to say again, “I’m really sorry that things happened the way it did. But trust me, you guys will be safe now. We’ll teach you how to survive here.”

“How to survive!?” Yahaba shot from the bed just to be stopped by the painful cuff in his wrist. “Who said we’re staying? Keiji and I are leaving right now!”

“Clearly you’re not.” came a low voice for the first time since Keiji opened his eyes. They all looked at the omega still seated at the bed Sugawara was before. “You’re a part of the squad now, they won’t let you leave.”

“Oh yeah,” Yahaba scoffed. “We’re leaving anyway. They can’t tell us what to do.”

“They actually can.” said the quiet omega. “Where would you go anyway?”

“Home.” Keiji answered without hesitation. Sugawara and Kozume exchanged a look, clearly having a silent conversation with each other.

Keiji looked at Yahaba to see his friend’s proud smile. They had their own silent conversation with their eyes, both knowing that it did not matter how awful Sector C was, if their friend was there, if the elders and Suzumeda were there, there was home.

And they were going back home.

“Well, I’m sorry but I don’t believe you can leave just yet.” Sugawara said slowly. “Let’s just try and-”

The door opened suddenly to cut his speech short. They all looked at it, but Keiji and Yahaba did not miss Kozume jumping out of bed and straightening his posture to greet whoever were coming inside. Sugawara fixed his posture the exact same way.

An alpha male entered the room alone, closing the door behind him. Keiji saw the white military uniform, somehow instinctively knowing that the other was a medical sentinel officer. He also noticed the little bag in one of the alpha’s hand and a clipboard in the other.

“Suga, Kenma.” said the alpha while nodding with a smile. “Good to know you’re still here.”

“At your service, Alpha Azumane, Sir.” Sugawara answered politely. Neither he nor Kozume looked at the alpha in the eyes, and Keiji noticed that the alpha frowned confused at the response, just to wide his eyes in realization a second later. He then nodded to himself and turned his attention to Keiji.

“Alright,” said the alpha, “good to see you’re up. My name is Azumane Asahi and I am this squad’s medical officer. Welcome to Sentinel Division IV.”

His tone was neither too soft nor too rough, it was neutral, and Keiji felt like something well rehearsed. He opted to remain silent as he felt Yahaba’s annoyance growing by the seconds.

“So,” the alpha continued after a moment, “I’m here to see how you’re doing after the tranquilizers. If there’s no major effects, I’ll check you guys out so that Sugawara can show you around.”

Keiji looked back at Sugawara and Kozume, both of them looking slightly towards the ground, averting any contact with the alpha in the room. Somehow Keiji knew that this kind of posture were a part of their lives here, like a standard procedure, though he also felt like this alpha in particular wasn’t really found of it.

“Yeah right,” Yahaba scoffed two beds away, “check us out like this was a normal hospital.” he moved his cuffed wrist up for emphasis.

The alpha signed looking at him. “This is just a precaution. You don’t have to use it if you keep yourself calm.”

“I’ll be calm when you let us go!” the omega bit back.

The alpha signed again and refrain from answering. He sat the bag he was carrying on an empty bed and walked towards Keiji while picking up an instrument that was hanging from his neck.

“Don’t you dare touch him!” Yahaba growled from his bed, taking a step away from it just to be stopped by the cuffs. Keiji felt his own panic merging with his friend’s wrath and recoiled away from the approaching alpha, almost bolting from the bed himself.

“Calm down,” the alpha said while stopping his approach. He raised his hands in the air to show them the medical instrument while speaking slowly as if talking to a child. Or even a cornered animal, really. “I just want to check your vitals to look for side effects from the tranquilizers.” he said to Keiji and then looked towards Yahaba. “I won’t hurt him, I promise.”

Sugawara was now also looking at them and Keiji could feel his anxiety growing. He looked at Yahaba to see his friend frowning at the alpha before nodding slowly. Keiji then looked back at the taller man and gave him his own short nod.

The alpha released another sigh and proceed with the so-called tests. He first put on one end of the thing in his hand in his own ears, while the other end he aimed towards Keiji. When the thing touched his chest, the alpha asked him to take a deep breath, which he did skeptically. The thing was moved around a bit but it did not hurt, surprisingly, and next came something to hold his arm that began to grow as air was bombed into it by the alpha.

“Don’t worry,” the alpha said again when Keiji’s eyes widened to the device, “It’s normal, I’m just checking your blood pressure. It’ll end in an instant.”

Keiji nodded dumbfounded again, never had seeing anything like that inside the omega sector. The alpha ran a few more tests before deciding he was healthy enough, apparently just too thin for his liking, which was obviously just by looking at him and Yahaba.

“Well, let’s get you guys out of here then,” the alpha smiled while turning toward the bag he had before, opening it to reveal two syringes and a little thing with white liquid. “I just need to give your shots and you're good to go.”

This time Yahaba’s growl really echoed in the room, startling the other three and making Keiji suddenly bolt from his bed, jumping through the other one separating them and ending up behind his friend. Yahaba’s fangs were in full display while his instincts were telling him to keep Keiji away from any shot the alpha would plan on give them.

Keiji did not really understand what was going on either. He didn’t know what that was, he only saw a syringe once before, and it was an empty one, way back when he was a child going through a dumpster in Sector C, finding one of those just to hear Yaku telling him to never touch one again.

But something inside him was panicking now. He did not want a shot from that, and everything in him was telling himself to not accept it. He knew that his friend was reacting to his fear, and he also knew that Yahaba had no idea as why they were this worked up. They both just knew that Keiji needed to be kept away from it.

“It’s just a suppressant.” said the alpha while looking at both of them. “It won’t hurt you, it’s standard procedure.”

“To hell with your procedures!” Yahaba growled. “We don’t want that! Keep it away!”

The alpha sighed again while rubbing his eyes. “I’m sorry but you have to take it. I cannot release you for mating without giving you suppressants. And I have to put the information in the official records, so there’s no other way.”

Keiji gasped at that with wide eyes. Yahaba also looked like missing words for a moment, and then his wrath was brought back like an open dam.

“Mating!?” he growled louder, reminding Keiji of a protective pissed off Yaku, “What do you take us for!? No one is mating anyone here!”

“You were brought here by two of our unmated sentinels,” the alpha doctor said slowly, “what else you were thinking that being a part of the squad was all about?”

“You make it look like we agreed to come here.” Keiji said sarcastically, regaining a little control over his fear.

“We didn’t ask for this! We didn’t know anything!” Yahaba screamed still very much pissed. “We were home looking for food when a bunch of alphas jumped on us, chased, shot and kidnaped us! And you want us to mate them!? Screw you!”

Silence was made once again at those words. The alpha doctor looked at the cornered omegas with sad eyes, clearly conflicted about what he had to do. Sugawara looked at the doctor to try to easy things up a little.

“Asahi, I think there are still some misunderstandings here.” he said without the previously submitted tone from before, and Keiji could feel the friendship between them, “Can’t we hold off the suppressants for now? It’s not like they’re matting right now with all the moving.”

_Moving?_

“I can't Suga.” the alpha signed. “It’s exactly because of the moving. I cannot sign them out of the infirmary without giving them their shots. And since the head doctor from the commander’s office is supervising the medical records for the next base, we would be discovered in a heartbeat.”

Sugawara bit his lips at that, he knew Asahi was right. With all the preparations for the squad’s moving, they just didn’t had the time nor the manpower to properly introduce the two omegas to their new place and position, much like with Hinata. However, different from the orange haired omega, these two were not born and raised in the school, where all the alpha superiority bullshit was just engraved into your brain since the beginning, so this was going to be a bigger challenge.

Also, by the few things his mate had told him after coming home from Sector C the night before with the others, Sugawara knew that their life was not easy, so he wanted to make them as comfortable as possible. However, time was something they just do not have right now.

“Why all the fuss? It’s just suppressants.” 

All eyes turned towards the other omega in the corner of the room. He was quiet for a while know, and Keiji could feel his annoyance towards all the commotion.

“Kenma, I don’t think that’s -” Sugawara started. 

“Just suppressants!” Yahaba scoffed. “You take that then!”

“I did, we all do.” Kozume said, “It’s like the doctor said, it's standard procedure."

“I don’t give a damn to your procedures, we’re not taking!”

“Why do you think you have a choice?” Kozume said again in his low bored tone.

“It’s our life!” Yahaba was shouting now, getting more and more pissed with the other omega.

However, any discussion was cut short when the door suddenly opened behind the doctor, surprising all of them, since it was locked earlier. A tall alpha entered the room, dark eyes behind glasses and a perfect styled hair, white uniform with medals in it and three stars in his shirt collar. His posture showed that he was not prone to bullshit, and the years of service could be seen in the lines of his face.

Keiji palled. He knew that uniform too well, even never having seeing it before. That was a high ranked alpha, someone he never saw and that never crossed his way before, but all cells in his body were telling him to stay as far as he could from that white uniform.

Yahaba was showing his fangs again in a silent threat, reacting immediately to Keiji’s body language when the younger omega ducked his head to hide his face into his back. Keiji was trembling in fear while clutching at Yahaba’s shirt with tight fists, burying his face in the middle of his back to keep the alpha from seeing him.

However, they were not the only ones to react to the alpha’s appearance. In an instant, Sugawara and Kozume bowed in a perfect form, their heads and upper body forward and arms tightly straight by the side of their body, making a perfect 90º that Yahaba couldn’t help to think it had to hurt. None of them said anything, not even a sound coming from the two omegas, neither their eyes ever moved to the alpha’s, aimed straight to their own feet.

The first doctor was the only one to use words. He was also startled by the sudden arrival, but was fast to recover his posture and salute the other formally to welcome the higher officer.

“Good morning Sir!” Azumane greeted the head doctor from Tokyo’s commander office. “How can I be of assistance, Sir?”

“Stand down.” the older alpha said in a firm and low tone after leaving the younger doctor saluting for a few minutes, looking across the room and noticing the two cornered omegas that did not bowed to him. “What is going on here sentinel? I heard that you were having problems earlier.”

No sound was immediately made in the room, but Keiji could hear a low curse in his mind and a ‘that damn nurses’ comment inside his head. First, he did not understand if he actually heard or imagined it, but either of that made any sense. Though no more than a second later, the younger alpha was speaking aloud again, in a tone much different and more respectful than that sudden thought.

“No problem here Sir.” Azumane responded, posture still perfect with his arms glued to his body’s sides in respect to the older alpha. “I was just about to give the new omegas the suppressants shots to let them back to work.”

“Oh really, don’t let me stop you then.” the alpha responded.

Azumane stood still for a moment to see the older alpha out, but when the man stood unimpressively watching him, it was clear that no one was going anywhere until this task was over. He cursed again in his mind without letting it show in his face, saluted the other once again and moved to retrieve the syringes he left on top of the bed when the door opened earlier. Yahaba watched while the alpha prepared the shots and moved slowly but surely towards them. He was about to growl at the man again when two things stopped him.

First, he noticed the look in the doctor’s eyes. It was not a violent nor a threatening look, but a pleading one. Azumane was not saying anything, but the omega could tell that the other was somewhat concerned by this turn of events. And second, Keiji was clutching at his back for dear life, trembling like a leaf and breathing hard. He knew that a panic attack was taking place inside his friend, but it was his voice in Yahaba’s head that stopped him from taking any action.

_Do not fight it! Let’s just take this thing and leave! Please, please, do not let that man come see me!_

Keiji could not understand why he was so desperate to see the older alpha walk away. He never saw the man before, but the uniform he was wearing sent nausea and panic through his veins, like an invisible hand crushing his lungs and punching his chest. He could just think about hiding so the alpha could not really see him.

Also, it was as if the room suddenly exploded in noise. No one was saying anything, but for some reason he could hear them all. He could hear the young alpha doctor chanting while walking toward them: _‘Please do not do anything… please just let me give these to you.’._ Could also hear Sugawara’s voice doing the same: _‘It’s just a shot, please take it, that man is dangerous, don’t make this worse, please just take it…’_.

With the corner of his eyes, he saw that neither Sugawara nor Kozume had moved an inch from their bowing position, remaining simply ignored by the man that was watching the scene from the door. However, he could still hear Sugawara’s voice, and while Kozume was deadly silent, he could still feel fear oozing itself from the smaller omega.

Therefore, he just did what his guts were telling him to. Without making a sound, Keiji closed his eyes and buried his face in his friend’s back. He then began to ask in his head for Yahaba to remain still and not escalate things. He asked him to just let the alpha give them the shots so that the older one could go away.

Somehow for his surprise it worked. His friend watched as the alpha doctor approached, first giving his a shot and them doing the same with Keiji. Yahaba looked the alpha in the eyes the whole time, and Keiji could feel the older officer’s rage to that, but no one said anything at the time.

After giving the shots, Azumane returned to the door, stopping in front of the older alpha and saluting him again. The man ignored him and remained looking towards the two omegas. Another moment of silence was made until the alpha turned around to leave the room, but not before giving his orders.

“Sentinel, in my office in ten.” and without looking to the omegas still bowed, “Omega Sawamura, I expect all of you off the infirmary immediately. And teach these two some manners.”

Sugawara only nodded when the alphas left the room, signing and straightening his back, Kozume doing the same.

“Well,” he said with a sad smile. “Welcome to Sentinel Division IV.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

November 8th - 8:30 am

He hated moving. Too much trouble, period. 

Every time they had to move bases it was the same: deal with some inventory task with the division supplies; pack his room; double check the room because he would always, ALWAYS, forget something that would either be found by Iwa or Suga before they leave; and them the long march towards the next base. Truthfully, sometimes they were all allowed to be stuffed inside those huge military airplanes that could fly them to the next base, which was faster them simply driving there anyway, but since almost no one liked their division, their moving were done mostly by the endless roads.

It was all too boring, too tiring and too slow. He hated it.

But the room packing was one of the most irritating part. Sure, the drive was boring and too long, especially when they had to cross half the country, for crying out loud! But at least they had enough cars to make it more comfortable, only four alphas in a vehicle so they did not need to be squished together, and there were shops and hot baths along the way that he could sneak himself into sometimes.

But the room, Oh, The Room! It was hell, and that is final! Packing the room was usually an omega’s task and as an unmated alpha sentinel, he could simply open his door and drag the first one he sees to just pack the room for him. The omega would not have a word about it, and if their mate want to say something, they could talk to Oikawa himself.

However, he would not do that! He did not like the way some alphas pushed omegas around, making them do everything they want and complaining about every single thing. He did not even know that omegas would work so much until he presented and was sent to the academy to be made a sentinel. 

The only omega he ever met before was his own mother, and as his father’s mate, she lived with them in their big house in the best part of the alpha sector in Tokyo. Oikawa Kousuke was an extremely successful alpha commander in his days, retiring to be part of the supreme council and a CEO of his own billionaire company.

So yeah, Oikawa Tooru grew up like a little prince. He was his parents pride and joy even before presenting as an alpha, growing up in a huge house full of people to clean, feed and look after him in any way he liked. He also had a big sister that was also loved by their parents and grew up having everything she ever wanted, but presenting as a beta forced her to move out to the beta sector once she reached her twenties.

However, compared to many others, she still had a good life. Their father made sure to complete her education with private teachers at their home, never allowing his daughter to go to the beta school, and bought her an apartment in the best part of the beta sector. She now worked in her father’s office inside Seijo Enterprises, has a husband and a son, lives a good life and also visits their mother during holidays.

Oikawa also tried to visit his mother those days, but that was only possible now if his squad was in Tokyo base. He missed her sometimes, but to tell the truth, it was not so different from the time he still lived in their home. Being the omega wife, his mother was almost never seen around the house, staying most of the time in her bedroom doing what he was told to be “omega things”, whatever that may be. His father only required her during special occasions, that usually had to do with some kind of guest coming to their home, but he never saw her engaging direct conversation with any of them.

But even knowing about her reclusive life, Oikawa could only smile while remembering his “secret missions” as a young boy when he would sneak past his private teachers and house employees to sneak into his mother’s room. He would hide in there with her for hours while listening to her singing lullabies and story telling, watching her knit perfects clothes and blankets for him and his sister, showing her his drawings and pretending to save her from alien invaders.

And she never told him to leave, never told people that he was hiding inside the closet or under the bed when they came looking for him. She would only smile and say that she haven’t saw him since breakfast, and that he might be hunting aliens with other kids in the neighborhood. She was always in his room when he would wake up from a nightmare, never knowing how she could always know when he was about to have one, and just being there at the exact time.

So yeah, he misses his mother. He wished he could go visit her before moving bases. But there was still this damn room packing. For a moment he wished that he was thought how to pack things efficiently as a kid, not needing it at the time since there were people to do that for him at home. All betas by the way, since his father would only hire betas to work in the house, apart from his alpha teachers, so he grew up thinking that only betas did this kind of work.

Which kind of explain his shock when he saw omegas working and cleaning for the alphas when he went to the sentinel academy. There were not many omegas there per say, but the ones that were in fact there had to work like crazy every day, cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, among other things. They were pretty young too, some just presented, nothing like his omega mother knitting inside her room.

The omegas at the academy were usually there because they were brought along their future mates, like Suga and Kenma, but since not every alpha presented knowing whom they wanted to mate with, the few omegas there kind of had to work for all of them too. But Oikawa learned pretty early that not everyone had grew up with peaceful omega mother like him, since most alphas thought that the omegas were their personal slaves or something, grabbing at them and shoving them around to do their own stupid chores, like cleaning their dorms, as if the omegas’ chores weren’t hard enough.

However, he also learned quickly that not every alpha would tolerate this kind of behavior. Kuroo and Daichi were two good examples of that, since they both engaged in many fights with other cadets that tried to boss their omegas around, earning them many nighttime training in the rain as punishment. Bokuto he knew, was another one to likely defend an omega at any time, specially Suga and Kenma, but since he didn’t had a mate himself, he would usually get in trouble trying to defend any omega he saw being mistreated, sometimes even fighting the omega’s own mate.

In time, Oikawa became one of those “omega defenders” himself. At first he was shocked with the constant ruckus and fighting between the cadets, deciding to keep his distant and analyses the situation further, remembering his father’s advice to never engage a conflict without learning all the reasons and outcomes. His father’s voice was like his own conscience in the beginning of his first year as a cadet. He loved him and he wanted to be successful like him. Everyone liked to say he had a bright future ahead as a sentinel, training to join one of the top squads, and then being promoted to the Tokyo Army and retire to the country council. 

Just like his father. And he wanted that. That was his life’s path already draw out to him, just waiting for him to follow.

But then one day he walked inside the academy cafeteria to wait for his breakfast to be served when he saw an omega girl being slapped in the face by a third year cadet. The girl held a hand to her swollen cheek and bowed her head to the alpha, tears filling up her eyes but not falling, since crying would earn her another hit. The alpha stood tall in front of her while bitching about something that Oikawa ignored, focused in the poor girl as if something in her put weights in his heart.

Then it clicked. The omega girl was average height, long brown hair tied in a simple brand, light brown eyes with a shape so familiar he could cry. It had been three months since he left home to become a sentinel, three months in an unfamiliar place with no friends, no one to sing for him a lullaby, to listen to his theories about alien races, to be by his bedside when a nightmare hit.

That girl looked just like a young version of his mother.

He did not know what happened after. When he came to it, he was being ripped away from the third year knocked out on the ground, his own fists dirt with the same blood that filled the other alpha’s face. The last thing he saw before being dragged out of the room was the omega girl crouched in the corner, her eyes huge and bright looking at him with a mixture of fear and surprise. He then noticed how she looked at her mate’s bloodied face and then back to Oikawa, her hands shot to her face to hide what Oikawa knew it was a forming smile.

That day earned him time out in the solitary and punishments in the rain, witch curiously was where he first had a real conversation with Bokuto. They were both told to do push-ups in the pouring rain for more than an hour, and Bokuto just decided that was a perfect place to make a new friend. Apparently the white haired alpha was there due to being caught trying to sneak his breakfast eggs to Kenma, since the omega was only allowed to eat a slice of bread in the morning while Kuroo was in solitary for fighting a second year that thought it was a good idea to grab at his mate’s butt.

The next morning Oikawa was invited to seat with Bokuto and Daichi in the cafeteria, or more like dragged to their table by Bokuto’s stupidly strong arm on his shoulder. There he also met Suga, since he was the omega serving his mate’s table. Two days later, he met Kuroo and Iwaizumi, the last one also being released from the solitary for helping Kuroo corner the second year idiot.

That was the beginning of a friendship Oikawa never thought he would have. The first three months in the academy were filled with nothing but classes and training. No one really approached him due to knowing who his father was. They all saw him like some kind of royal per say, never getting too close, never engaging conversation or things like that. His teachers always proudly announcing his grades and conquests in training, he was the best in everything their class did, first in any announcement and field group activities.

Until he learned that he was not.

Less than a month into hanging out with the others alphas during breakfast and lunch showed him how ‘not so special’ he actually was. His grades were not higher than Kuroo’s, Daichi was a better strategist, he couldn’t win Iwaizumi in a one-on-one and Bokuto’s strength and stamina were so ridiculous that Oikawa never dared to compete with him in the obstacle course a second time.

At first shock and frustration was all he felt. He did not understand why he could not outsmart them all. Everyone always said he was the best in class, awesome grades and perfect problems solutions, he won games of strategy and field competitions all the time, so why the hell he could not win against the four alphas?

Then it began to make sense. For the next few weeks he got aware of the classes behaviors and outcomes. First of all, his class was huge! There were about 75 or so young alphas in the same classroom. He knew that was a procedure in the academy, something like “throw all the newbies in one place and see how they deal with each other” kind of thing. The first year was like a strainer to measure their potential as a large group, just like a squad or a battalion, where the instructors could analyze the small groups that would form, their dynamics and such. Sometimes the groups would be encouraged, while others would be dissolved by reorganizing seats and field activities.

By the beginning of the second year of training, the teachers and instructors would know who was better be together or not, also pairing alphas by the number of enhanced senses they got. Keeping the best ones in a power group while pulling the bad apples away, selecting and gathering the ones that would become real soldiers from the others with apparently less potential.

Therefore, Oikawa noticed that his seat was always in the front row, his field activities always done first and in better weather conditions. Once, he tried to waltz himself to a second row of runners in the track field and the answer he got from the instructor was: “I won’t be the one known to leave an Oikawa in the second row! Now get your ass upfront!”

That got him thinking. Was it him being the perfect cadet, or was his father’s name getting him the position?

First, he got pissed, and then he got hurt. It was clear to him that he was not a total loser, after all the cadets beside him were always changing, their training companions could never keep up with him, and it was not even a challenge anymore. It was not that he was perfect, but he was not actually being paired with people that could offer a real challenge, that could make this whole training thing be worth it. So if his teachers would not help him be the best, he would do it himself.

At first it was his pride talking. He loved his father, but he was not about to live his life in Oikawa Kousuke’s shadow. He would prove himself worth it of his own name, and he was going to do it in his own terms. However, as time passed he also realized that the academy was even more fun with people to actually work with. People to make fun of his mistakes and to clap him on the back when something was well done.

Friends. That was the word he discovered he never really knew until now.

It was a scandal.

At first no one could understand why an Oikawa was trying to seat in the last row for the theoretical classes, then they tried to understand why he insisted in being with the last group to field training, always buckling up to join the ones in the rain or during nightfall. Then some teachers noticed a pattern. Oikawa was trying to join the other four alphas in particular, for either classes and training or meals and chores. The back row began to get lauder and the field training more unbalanced.

It was not as if the others were silent before, but Oikawa’s presence in their group forced people to look their way. In time they began to notice things in the so called ‘losers group’. Although Kuroo’s name never appeared in the class' grade list, Oikawa’s whining of _“Kurocchi got more points than me again!”_ , still echoed from behind, such as his gasps every time Daichi defeated him in chess less than 3 minutes into a match.

In field training his calls of _“I will get you this time Iwa-chan!”_ , showed to others that it did not matter the position the alpha would start the race, Iwaizumi would be the first one to finish it, even if ignored by the instructor that would only click the timer to take note for the second runner. Gym was the same as Bokuto’s weightlifting records were never really taken into consideration.

Oikawa did not take long to understand why his new friends were being ostracised like this. Kuroo was an alpha born in a beta family that never shut up about missing his mom’s food or his dad’s studies sessions, or how adorable his mate’s annoyed face was, and how he could pinch Kenma’s cheek to the afterlife. He also tended to snap at everyone that mistreated the small omega, be they cadets or graduated officers, often getting harsh punishments out of it, and usually alongside with Bokuto.

Bokuto Koutarou was such a constant sunshine and fresh air that Oikawa could not understand how anyone could actually dislike the guy. However, he soon understood that no omega would be harmed in his presence, seeing how a smile could change into a growl in record time. The white haired alpha also liked to announce to the world how he was going to find his fated mate to give him everything under the sun, from a castle in the mountains to a private jet and his own horned owl pet! _“Can’t you see Oikawa!? We’ll name it Bokutowl and teach him how to get the newspaper and everything!”_

Daichi and Iwaizumi were a mystery at first, since both of them resembled nothing but perfect soldiers, smart and strong like the other two, but way more disciplined and responsible. However, Daichi not only already had found his mate, or as Bokuto liked to say, his Soulmate, but also clearly loved the ground Sugawara walked on. No one could deny the love in their eyes when they would talk, nor the way they just seemed to be made for each other. But when a third year tried to force Suga into submission in their second week of training, Daichi showed the world that no one would laid a hand on is mate, sending the other alpha to an emergency surgery and two months of physiotherapy, and setting himself permanently as an outcast.

Iwaizumi was something even more complicated. Oikawa learned that minus Kuroo and Kenma, the others all grew up in the school of the breeding compound. Daichi and Suga met there since day one, Iwaizumi was Daichi’s roommate for a semester, and Bokuto never met them until the academy. Therefore, Iwaizumi basically grew up alone, seeing people come and go, and dreaming with being the perfect alpha sentinel and protect the country and his future mate. 

But differently from all of them that by the second month into training had at least one enhanced sense, Iwaizumi got none. His popularity with the teachers decayed fast and soon enough he was put in the class’s back row. There he made friends with the others, but his name wasn’t even mentioned by the academy anymore, everyone just waiting for him to be discarded to the sector B’s police force in the future.

However, he never let this predicament get to him, none of them did. Instead, the four of them became the best of their class, even with no official recognition. And by the second year of training no one could deny that those losers from the back grew up to be the ones to rule the missions from the intensive sentinel training, and Oikawa proudly became one of them.

And to this day, he was proud to be with them. He found his place among them, first as friends and eventually as family. Sentinel-IV was never an option for him, and it was another scandal when he decided to stay here with the others. His father tried to convince him in every way, offered him everything, said that he was making his life’s worst choice ever! But eventually Oikawa proved again that his mind was set, about not only following Kuroo, Bokuto and Daichi to this squad, but also making sure Iwaizumi would come with them.

Until graduation day, four years after meeting all of them, Iwaizumi still had no enhanced sense and everyone was sure that he would be expelled from the Sentinels, but also no one could deny Iwa’s achievements during missions. And for some divine play, the alpha was also the reason Oikawa was still alive, and he would never let his father forget that. Therefore, Oikawa Kousuke had no choice but move things in order to grant Iwaizumi the sentinel title, even as the man himself could not understand why he would keep spoiling his stubborn son.

_Well, suck it up, Old Man! Iwa-chan’s mine and he is not going anywhere!_

Oikawa then jumped out of memory lane when the door of his room opened to let a tired Iwaizumi walk inside. They exchanged looks and Oikawa flashed him one of his best ‘sorry I’m not done with my chores’ smile, to which Iwaizumi only sighed, closed the door and went to drop face down on the bed.

Oikawa frowned when no ‘ _Damn it Shittykawa, you’re not done with this yet!?_ ’ came toward him. He dropped the pile of clothes he was going to put in the open bag by the table and went to sit beside the alpha, petting his back slowly.

“So I’m guessing the meeting with the commander wasn’t so good, huh?” he said concerned.

Iwaizumi signed into the pillow and then turned his head to look into Oikawa’s eyes. “It was hell, but I was already expecting that. But now he’s sure that I am to blame for us being out there yesterday.”

“What!?” Oikawa yelled, “Why would it be your fault? You were there with Daichi for damage control!”

Iwaizumi flicked the brunette's forehead “Don’t yell, my head is killing me already.” he then signed again and moved to lay on his back to better look at Oikawa. “He wanted to know how we discovered that there were omegas in Sector C and why we were there for the Hunt. Kuroo and Bokuto’s story that they heard it while walking around downtown was not enough, because apparently the time for the opening gate was not announced before. So I said I overheard someone talking about an opening gate time on breakfast yesterday, to which we then put two and two together and went there at night to give it a shot. Well, at least this was how Kuroo finished the story, since he was dead set in informing that Daichi and I went there just to get them back alive.”

“But why you said it was you that heard it?” Oikawa whined. “You just partially admitted the blame! You wasn’t even supposed to be there!”

“If no one said anything at least a little believable Daichi would end up with all the blame, he is our squad captain Tooru!”

“I know that!” Oikawa whined again, dramatically throwing his arm in his eyes while lying beside Iwaizumi. “You and Dad-chi are just too rightful! You could have just said that my father told us the time!”

Iwaizumi scoffed at that. “I won’t be the one to out your father like that.”

“Well, but it wouldn’t be a lie!” Oikawa looked at him. “He did tell me, and I don’t think he would care so much, he sound pretty happy when I called him to ask for the so called hunt. I think he was just praying for me to go find an omega in there.”

Oikawa noticed the heavy silence when he finished that sentence. He looked to his side to see Iwa staring quietly at the ceiling, a light frown in his forehead. He signed and laid on his side to face the alpha.

“Stop thinking about that, I don’t need an omega Hajime.” 

“Maybe you do Tooru. At least that’s what your father believes.”

“Screw his beliefs!” Oikawa said and touched Iwa’s chin to make the other look at him. “I don’t need, and mostly, I don’t want an omega! Get that in your head, Hajime!”

And he meant it, he truly did. He never thought while growing up that he would someday end up with another alpha, but his teenage self also never got attracted for omegas or betas before. Sure, there were no omega kids around his neighborhood, but knowing that his alpha father was married with his omega mother was enough to understand that this would also be his future. This and all the alpha/omega and male/female beta speeches he listened from his biology teacher. It just seemed natural that he would find an omega someday.

However, it all began to change when he moved to the alpha academy. He finally saw other omegas other than his mother, but the so-called need to touch them, the feeling that apparently made alphas grab at them or force themselves onto the cornered omegas never hit him. He could not understand at first why other alphas would go after omegas just to mess with them, even risking being beaten to a pulp by Daichi and Kuroo for touching their mates. Later he just got that those people were jerks trying to show off their so-called superiority, so he too decided to teach them a few lessons when there were chances.

And the chances came, oh, and how good it felt to teach those alphas to not bully his friends.

Friendship, that was all he ever felt towards the omegas. Not one single glimpse of desire. He was just friends with everyone in their little pack, ad he was more than ok with it. He liked to joke and be stupid with them, liked the late night study sessions, liked the competition in the training fields and the game nights in their twice a month nights off.

But as school progressed and their friendship grew, Oikawa noticed that some talks were deeper than others, that he was more stupid with Bokuto and Kuroo, more responsible with Daichi, more gentle with Kenma and dork with Suga, and mostly more eager with Iwaizumi. The more there was to learn about the alpha, the more he wanted. They talked about their childhood as if they had shared it, laughed at each other and imagined stories about things they would do if they had played together in that park near Oikawa’s house, or if they were caught stealing midnight snacks in Iwaizumi’s old school dorm.

They actually kept that up for more than two years, dancing around each other like school girls, too scared about those new feelings and all the chaos that it represented to their lives, since Oikawa was still the son and heir to his father’s name, and Iwaizumi still hadn’t manifest a single enhanced sense, putting his whole career in danger. In time, they just pushed that growing feelings aside, each of them calling that a “best-friendship” inside their own heads, not even noticing that the other was doing the same.

And they would have kept it up if it were not for Bokuto and Kuroo being fed up with it. One morning, in the middle of their third year, Oikawa was kidnapped mid breakfast by a fuming Bokuto that marched into the cafeteria, pushed Oikawa to his feet and tossed him onto his shoulders, marching out of the room without a single word. Daichi and Iwaizumi were also eating at the table, both sharing a surprised look to see if anyone knew what that was about, just to sigh in defeat and go back to eat while listening to Oikawa’s fading cries in the hallway, _“Wait Bo-chan! Put me down! What did I even do this time?”_

Bokuto had carried Oikawa back to the dorm-room he shared with Kuroo, entering it and tossing the brunette on the bed. Oikawa left a _‘Rude!’_ cry and fixed his uniform up before looking at the two alphas crossing their arms to their chest and glaring at him from the door. Then the next 15 minutes were filled with them snapping and cursing at each other, saying that Oikawa and Iwaizumi were like schoolgirls that needed to get their shit together, bla bla bla… _‘Screw you Kuro-chan!’, ‘Go confess already trash king!’, ‘Can’t you see he likes you too!?’_

And that was it. Oikawa spent the day running his mind to understand what was happening to his heart every time Iwaizumi would smirk at him after crossing the finishing line before him in that afternoon training, or after doing more pushups than him in less time. He was still thinking about it the next morning when he and Daichi were having breakfast together, looking up from his plate when Suga came to the table to offer them more tea, seeing the omega’s knowing smile when they crossed eyes.

Later in the day he decided that he was too coward to take action, and since he only saw Iwaizumi in the evening class, he for sure had already gave up in saying anything. But he got a little bit happier when Kuroo and Bokuto entered the classroom only a minute before the professor, each sporting a black eye. Oikawa looked at Daichi to see the other sighing, with a slight blushing Iwaizumi by his side. Oikawa then smirked at Kuroo who proceed to flip him off when the teacher entered and the lesson began.

_Guess Iwa-chan’s kidnapping wasn’t so successful, huh?_

And then things stood like that for months. Something was definitely changing around them both, as if a mist of uncertain every time they were alone, but no one said anything, both too coward to make the first move. However, destiny sometimes likes to make things happen, and to this day Oikawa thanks the heaven for the sense overflow that almost killed him in their fourth and last year in the academy.

Oikawa already had three enhanced senses in the beginning of their last year, which for itself would already grant him the sentinel title, and along with his good grades and definitely his father’s influence, his place in one of the best sentinels squad was surely granted. The only thing he did not had yet was an omega to mate after graduation. He was not the only one surely, in their little group only Kuroo and Daichi had found their soon to be mates, but most of the other cadets in their year had already picked one from the omega school.

Oikawa hated that place. His father had already made him go there over and over again during holidays and vacations. Every time Oikawa had a day off and went home for a visit, his father would have a car ready to take him to the omega school, even using his influence to get them to explore the place just to make his son look to every single omega there, hoping for either a perfect match, or even a _‘this one will do’_ kind of thing.

“Enough with this childish behavior! You can’t be a good sentinel without a guide!” his father told him once while going back home after another omega failed attempt.

“I know that!” he snapped back to the older man, “It is not my fault that I didn’t find anyone yet! I didn’t feel anything for anyone in there!”

“You are looking for the wrong feeling. You need to feel their potential power, not a love connection.” his father countered.

“How can I even feel anything if I never even talked to them!” Oikawa threw his hands in the air. “Daichi and Suga grew up together since nursery, and also Kuroo and Kenma build they’re connection through years!”

“Don’t set those friends of yours as examples on this.” his father said furiously. “They’ll never succeed the way you can Tooru, they’re just ordinary sentinels. Well, at least the two you mentioned.”

Oikawa’s eyes darkened after that. He was pissed, oh so pissed with all of this. He hated how he was forced to look for an omega like they were some sort of merchandise, he hated how everyone just considered Iwaizumi and Bokuto a failure right from start, since one of them had no enhanced sense and the other had already five, but with no guide to counter it, making the alpha spend more time in the infirmary than in training these days. He also hated how perfect soldiers like Kuroo and Daichi were also a failure for demanding respect for their omegas, challenging not only the protocol of the alpha superiority, but also the whole alpha society way of thinking.

“These men you are so easily discarding are not only my friends, but also four, FOUR, of the best alpha sentinels you’ll ever see in that academy. They’ll be the best in their own way and I’ll proudly be one of them.” Oikawa spoke directly to his father’s eyes, not wavering his gaze when the older alpha growled lowly at him.

Silence was made after that until they got home. When the driver pulled up in front of the house, Oikawa Kousuke signed without looking to his son. “I just want you to succeed like I did Tooru. This world is dangerous, our life is dangerous. If you piss off the wrong people, you and everyone you love will face the consequences.” he then looked at the younger alpha in the eyes. “You’re already amazing by yourself, a guide will make things easier to control, and can also stimulate at least one more enhanced sense when the bond completes. You will be outstanding, and the omega you choose will also be safer with you as a partner than anyone else’s. Love can come later my son.”

Oikawa looked back at his father to notice the love in his eyes. He knew that the other had good intentions, he knew that he was worried his son ended up dead somewhere because of his own senses. However, Oikawa needed more. He could not just choose someone for his “powers’” own benefits.

“Have your love for Mom ever came, Dad?” he ended up asking in a low voice.

His father’s face changed from caring to surprised and then to anger in less than two seconds. The older alpha threw one last glance to his son before exiting the car and marching toward the house. “Your mother did her job in granting me stability with my senses, protecting my mind with a shield and breeding my son and heir. She did her job and for that, she has a safe home. Think about that the next time you reject an omega for your selfish reasons.”

Oikawa looked to his father leaving and signed alone in the car. He did not ignored the fact that the older alpha had not answered his question.

But the guide he _‘Oh so much’_ needed came to save his life one day.

It was the second week into their last year and Oikawa was at the gym with Bokuto and Kuroo, plus a few others from their year, while the rest of the class were exercising on the track field, including Daichi and Iwaizumi. The groups would change places later, since everyone were doing massive physical training in preparation for their field missions starting next month.

Oikawa was in the middle of a set in volleyball when all lights became too bright, while the dark corners of the room looked so deep that could swallow everything else, flashes of colors came from his peripheral vision matching the movement of the other cadets around him. Everything started swirling him at the same time, creating a deafening headache until darkness took him over.

He woke up in the hospital three days after, hocked up in a bunch of machines to be on the safe side of things. The first thing he noticed was that it was a real hospital, not the academy’s infirmary ward, the next thing proved to be more sad, he woke up alone in the room. 

He did not know why he felt so lonely at the time, it was not as it ought to be someone near him all the time, and he was positive sure that nurses and doctors would be checking him up while he was out. However, right now it felt wrong. He could feel something calling for him, a connection set inside his body, longing and apprehensive, scared and sad, murmuring his name without baring words.

He began to cry without even realizing it. His heartbeat went up so much that a nurse rushed inside, looking at him with sadness for only a second before calling for his doctor. In the end they had to tranquilize him to keep it safe, worried that a second overflow could happen.

The next time he woke up it was a bit better, he could see it was nighttime through his window, but now there was company in the room. He was surprised to see Daichi and Suga seated on the sofa, hands linked while napping in each other’s sides, Suga’s head pillowed on Daichi’s shoulder while the alpha’s head rested in top of his boyfriend’s. Oikawa smiled to the scene but the feeling in his chest was still present, which made him whine a little in his mind.

But it was enough. Suga suddenly shot up awake and rushed to his side, taking the alpha’s hands in his own and touching their foreheads together. Oikawa always knew that Suga was a great empath, being able to feel the simplest moods swings of everyone around him, which made the omega the prime responder every time one of their group would have problems with their senses. They all knew that Kenma was also developing his abilities as much faster, but it was like there was an unspoken deal among them to keep it in the down low, since Suga’s ability also makes him deal with alphas outside their closed pack.

Therefore, Oikawa let the omega inside his mind, clutching at his hands like a lifeline. He also felt Daichi’s hand onto his back, rubbing slowly for comfort and to prevent him from falling back down, since Oikawa had not even realized that he seated himself up chasing Suga’s comfort.

Sugawara’s mind was amazing. In a second most of the pain was lifted from his heart and body, enveloping him in a safe blanket and washing him with fresh tears, taking him a while to recover from all that new and strange sensations. He was not all perfect when they moved away from each other, but his senses were more controlled and the aching in his chest more subdued.

“Thank you Suga-chan.” he smiled at the omega. “Refreshing as always.”

Suga scoffed with a laugh. “You’re welcome, Drama-King.”

“Rude!” Oikawa said and took a deep breath before speaking again. “What happened?”

“Well, congratulations on your fourth enhanced sense!” Daichi told him in a not so happy voice.

Oikawa frowned. He was expecting as much, but it ought to have been bad since he was in a hospital and not the infirmary.

“Why am I here?” he asked the couple. “Did Suga-chan have problems with getting me back this time?”

“Well,” Daichi began uncertain but Suga cut him out.

“I didn't bring you back at all.” the omega said directly.

Oikawa frowned more at that. “Then who? Ken-chan?” he remembered that Kenma was seated on the gym bleachers when they were playing, being present since his own mate was there with the others, while Suga was watching Daichi and Iwaizumi’s track field activities.

The omega did not answered, choosing to look at his mate to a silent conversation. Daichi only signed and went to the room’s door, opening it slightly to see and hear if anyone was passing by. He them closing it again and locked from the inside.

Suga looked back at Oikawa. “What do you remember?”

“Bright and swirling lights, splitting headache and then nothing but waking up in here.” he answered.

Sugawara signed and began to retell everything. Apparently, he had collapsed after that like a bag of potatoes, Kenma had shot to his side in a heartbeat, joining Kuroo and Bokuto in the middle of the gym. The omega immediately began to reach for his mind to calm his senses, but they were so strong it started to act onto his body, creating convulsions to start a seizure. Kenma’s eyes widened and he looked desperate toward Kuroo, who understood fast and shot to the gym’s door calling out for Sugawara.

When the older omega came running inside Oikawa was already thrashing around, others were screaming and calling for paramedics, Kenma was still trying to bring him back and Bokuto was crying silent tears by their side. Kuroo took Kenma and Bokuto out of Suga’s way, making sure Kenma was disconnected from Oikawa before trying to keep Bokuto from having an overflow or anxiety attack himself.

Suga entered Oikawa’s mind harshly and tried to bring him back to consciousness, but the swirl in his head was too strong for him, he pushed more and asked Oikawa’s mind what he wanted, and how he could get it for him. That technique usually helps when an empath is helping an alpha other than their own mate, making the alpha’s mind seek for control over their own senses. However, Oikawa’s answer came differently then Suga was expecting, and suddenly the alpha screamed a word still convulsing on the ground.

_Hajime!_

Oikawa looked wide-eyed at the omega telling the story. “I called his name?”

“Yeah,” Suga said, “scared the shit out of all of us.”

“Iwaizumi and I were in the other side of the field when Kuroo came screaming for Suga.” Daichi took over the story. “We were about to enter the gym running when I heard you calling for him. Iwaizumi collapsed onto the ground clutching his own head and screaming in agony that I thought he was developing an enhanced sense himself.”

“But he… wasn’t?” Oikawa asked slowly.

“No,” Suga answered with sadness, “he wasn’t.”

Daichi had went to Iwaizumi, trying to make the other alpha seat down until the supposed enhanced sense subdue, knowing pretty well that Suga could not deal with two alpha’s at a time. He was almost calling out for Kenma when Iwaizumi clutched at Daichi’s arms and demanded to be brought to Oikawa, shooting up himself before his friend could say anything. Daichi then helped Iwaizumi inside the gym, holding the other up while stumbling in shaky legs. Iwaizumi had threw himself to the ground by Suga’s side, looking to Oikawa while tears ran down his face.

“He began asking you to come back,” Suga told the brunette alpha, “calling your name, cursing at you and begging for you to breathe. But, it wasn’t with words, it was with his mind.”

Oikawa eyes widened. “What?” he asked in a whisper.

“Oikawa you… you woke up his empath side.” Suga finished tenderly.

The only reason Sugawara had heard Iwaizumi’s cries for Oikawa to live was because the omega was still inside the alpha’s mind. After that Oikawa’s seizure stopped, his body went limp and his breathing got to a more normal rate. Just then Iwaizumi realized what had just happened, looking in terror to Suga’s face, even Kenma seemed to understand what was going on, since he began to tremble while clutching at Kuroo’s sweaty shirt.

They all knew what that meant. Iwaizumi was already walking in eggshells since his senses never came through, but being an empath now? An alpha empath? That was against everything the society believed, everything they held onto. 

That was not just unusual, that was dangerous.

And for that, no one said anything until now. Not even a minute later the gym’s doors were harshly opened and the paramedics ran inside, they pushed everyone out of the way, Bokuto and Daichi ran to hold Iwaizumi back since the alpha was growling at the people trying to separate Oikawa from him. They took Oikawa to the infirmary and five minutes later an ambulance was taking him to the hospital, probably by Oikawa’s father’s orders, since one of the academy’s supervisor was heard calling to a commander’s office.

The official story they all told the teachers who went to interrogate them was that Kenma tried to bring Oikawa back but it was Sugawara that got it right. No one mentioned that Oikawa called for Iwaizumi, neither the other outburst when the brunette was taken away, but they know that gossip is already swirling around the academy because of the other cadets present in the gym.

“The only reason me and Daichi are here now is because of your little episode this morning.” Suga said with a smile. “The doctor told your father and he immediately told the director to ‘send the omega that helped my son’. We need to be careful now, or your father may lock Daichi up and force us to mate later.” the omega smirked at his boyfriend.

Daichi growled lowly and Oikawa laughed, “Don’t worry Daichi, I won’t let my dad choose who I’ll mate. And mister refreshing here would make me want to jump from a cliff not a week into marriage.” he smirked and Suga just sent an air kiss to his pissed off alpha.

“And how is Iwa-chan now?” Oikawa asked slowly after a minute.

“He’s better for now. Kuroo said he would sneak Kenma and himself to sleep in you guy’s room tonight to make sure he is alright. It is a lot to take in right now.” Daichi signed.

“Yeah, he still has to understand how this whole empath thing works. You two created an early mind bond back in the gym, which is probably why you’re feeling some longing deep in your chest.” Suga told him.

Oikawa just nodded and went silent. Daichi unlocked the door and went back to seat on the couch, Suga doing the same. They remained quiet and eventually the couple began to nap again, but Oikawa did not sleep for a second the entire night. In the next morning, his father came to visit him, glad to see his son way better than the day before. He dismissed the others and asked his son what he remembered.

Oikawa was not stupid, he knew his father was seeking for answers. He had probably already heard the gossips from the academy, and was surely threatening everyone to keep it down. What he needed now was that his son tells him that he would search and choose an omega fast.

However, all Oikawa Tooru did was look inside his father’s eyes and break his last hope.

“He saved me Dad,” Oikawa said calmly, “he saved my life and I want him with me. If you let him be expelled from the academy and the sentinels, I’ll go right after.”

And to this day Oikawa meant that promise. Still looking to the alpha by his side, the deep green eyes full of the love they both found and built together, the eyes of a friend, of safety and trust, Oikawa knew that he didn’t need an omega because he had already find his guide.

And Iwaizumi was a damn great guide, although Oikawa’s sure that Suga and Kenma are not so rude to their partners, well, maybe Kenma is, but he is positively sure that Suga is Daichi’s angel! Or his devil… but anyway! _Iwa-chan could act a whole lot more cute! Huh!_

Iwaizumi left a bubbly chuckle by his side and Oikawa knew that he had caught that last stray thought. He felt his heart beat faster and heat pooled inside his chest while hearing that not so often adorable chuckle.

“Don’t go getting sappy on me now Shittykawa.” Iwaizumi scoffed with no bite.

“Not my fault you’re acting cute right now!”

“So cheesy.” his alpha guide chuckled again while they approached for a kiss. It was tender and sweet, because Oikawa new that his Iwa was already too emotional for deeper things right now, PLUS, he still had to finish packing this damn room!

Just like an in-time magic, a knock in his door announced a guest. Oikawa got up from the bed with a sign and went to open the door, seeing an omega woman standing outside.

“Morning Eve-chan! What can I do for you?” he said with his trademark smile.

“Good morning Alpha Oikawa, Omega Sawamura had requested me to come help finish your packing. He is busy with the new guides and assured me that you might be in need of assistance.” the omega responded with a deep bow.

Oikawa hated all the uptown protocol the omega was showing, but Evelyn was one of the squad’s omegas that they never manage to get to chill out around them, then again, the girl were born and raised in the omega school so there is not much she could help now. Not everyone was like Suga who even acting all polite in front of others, with them alone he would just barge into the room and bitch at Oikawa’s own laziness, just to end up finishing all the work much faster than anyone.

The brunet alpha looked at the omega by his door and then back inside his room to his perfect boyfriend. Yeah, he was going to be sappy right now. He looked back at the girl standing and smiled to her again.

“Thank you Eve-chan, but everything’s good. No omega needed in here.”

Oikawa closed the door again after the girl bowed before leaving. He walked back to his green-eyed smiling guide.

“Don’t come thinking I’m packing your stuff Tooru.” Iwaizumi told him while still smiling.

“I wouldn’t even dream about that, Hajime.” he responded before kissing him again.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 8th - 8:45 am

Kenma walked inside his room to find his mate already back and finishing packing his last suitcase.

“Oh,” the omega said, “I came back to finish that.”

“It’s all covered now, don’t worry kitten.” the alpha responded while tapping lightly the suitcase. Their room was already cleared for the final inspection and good to go for their little road trip. Kenma had made most the packing while the alphas were in Sector C last night, too worried to sleep or play while he waited.

“How was the meeting?” Kenma asked while seating himself in his mate’s lap when the alpha set himself on their bed.

“Tiring, boring and useless.” Kuroo signed, his fingers massaging Kenma’s scalp and neck. The omega purred and closed his eyes, too tired to even feel embarrassed. “But I think we managed to get away with minors reprimands.” he finished with a smile.

“No bad outcomes?” Kenma asked laying his head in the alpha’s shoulder.

“No, not so much. Not anything other than what we’re all accustomed to, at least.” Kuroo signed and rested his chin on top of the other’s head. “Apart from the whole usual _‘you’re all a disgrace’_ , and _‘you should hold your soldiers better, captain’_ , and _‘this squad should have never came to be in the first place’_ speech, Bokuto and Kyoutani were told to not engage any matting activity until we arrive in the next base.”

“Huh. Don’t think they’re happy with that, though?”

“Kyoutani definitely isn’t.” Kuroo scoffed, swinging them both a little. “Iwaizumi threatened to beat him down if he so much as touch the omega right now, and Daichi said he was going to make Suga keep an eye out for both of them. But Bokuto seemed actually happy to wait, said he wanted to know his ‘soulmate’ better anyway.”

“Huh, he might want that, yeah.” Kenma said final.

“How are they, by the way?” Kuroo asked after a small silence where Kenma was definitely almost falling asleep while the alpha rocked them both. “Did you got to see them with Suga?”

“Yeah I did,” Kenma sighed. Even if he did not like to meet new people, Kuroo told him last night that he was worried that the omegas were not very interested in being part of their squad, so they decided to try analyzing the omega that Bokuto had his eyes on before he could give the alpha the heartbreak of a lifetime. That and Bokuto’s cries of _‘I don’t want to sleep or meet the commander! I want to make sure my mate is ok!’_ , made Kenma decide to go see the omegas with Suga, assuring both alphas that he would make sure everything was alright.

“And?” the alpha pressured.

“And I don’t really know.” Kenma sighed, “I understand that being brought to the sentinel world in the middle of the night ought to be a shock to anyone, but those two really seemed to believe they had better places to be.”

“Well,” Kuroo hummed, “you also felt homesick when you first came to the academy.”

“I know, it’s just…” Kenma trailed off for a while, “I’m not saying this is ideal, but I know that I disgraced my parents when I presented, even if-”

“You didn’t disgraced them Kitten.” Kuroo cut Kenma’s speech and looked concerned at his mate.

“I did Kuro, and you know it.” Kenma sighed again and touched the alpha’s cheek. “I’m from a beta family. I was supposed to be a beta, marry a beta girl and work in a standard office or something. Being an omega threw all of it away, it was either being here or going to the breeding center, we both know that.”

_Or being discarded in that last sector._

Kenma did not let this last thought reach Kuroo’s mind, but the alpha knew about that option anyway. Since he heard about young omegas being throw there, and after seeing their conditions with his own eyes, he thanked all heavens and gods that he presented as an alpha and managed to have Kenma with him.

“But,” Kuroo continued, “do you think they prefer to go back to that place?”

“I think they are used to some level of freedom, and they’re not about to give it up so easily.” Kenma finished. He knew that because he also felt it when he first got to the academy. He wanted to stay with Kuroo and he knew that he did not have a home with his parents anymore, but he was losing other things too, things that he liked to do in Sector B. The arcade, the sunset by the river, the ramen shop and the midnight games in his room. Why couldn’t he enjoy those by his own will anymore, while all the hierarchy and protocols replaced it?

“But here they can do better eventually!” Kuroo was trying to get good arguments as if Kenma was the one trying to leave. He knew that an omega’s life with the sentinels was not easy, but he also knew that Bokuto would do anything to give his future mate a good life. “It‘s new, I know, but our squad isn’t so bad, and they will have food and shelter in here!”

“Food and shelter.” Kenma sighed depressed, “Is that the cost of freedom, Tetsurou?”

Kuroo froze and Kenma hugged his chest, circling the alpha with his arms and hiding his closed eyes on top of his mate’s heart. He brushed his lips on the alpha’s shirt like a tender kiss and reached through their bond.

_“I’m not leaving Tetsu, there’s no place I rather be without you.”_

_“I love you Kitten.”_ it was all the alpha managed to think while hugging the other tightly.

_“I love you too.”_

They remained like that for a while, feeling each other scent and warmth. However, eventually they had to come back to function when a loud sound echoed in the hallway outside, like a whole squad was running in frenzy.

Or rather just one soldier in frenzy as they realized when Bokuto came barreling inside the room, opening the door with such force that Kenma thought for a minute that it would fall apart.

“KUROO!” the alpha cried while entering the room, “I can’t find him anywhere! This place is huge and smells odd, and it’s too noisy with everyone moving around! I went to the infirmary, the lobby, the kitchen-” Bokuto cut his cries short when he noticed that Kenma was also in the room.

“KENMA!” he shouted again, “Did you see him!? Did you talk to him?! Is he alright?! Isn’t he the most gorgeous person you’ve ever seen?!”

Kuroo scoffed in the last sentence and Kenma sighed while pinching the flesh between his eyes. “I saw him Bo, just slow down for a second.”

“But is he okay?!” the alpha eagerly jumped in the same spot.

“He’s fine Bo,” Kenma told him tenderly, “He woke up confused and on guard, but he was physically fine. Both were.”

“Oh thank God!” the alpha beamed at his friends and took a step closer. “And where’s he now?”

“Suga had to make rounds to make sure things were being done for the moving and everyone else is also busy.” Kenma explained, “So he made them tag along during the rounds, using the chance to introduce them to some of our responsibilities and sectors. I came back when they were leaving the kitchen and going for the laundry.”

Kuroo saw his friend’s eye light up like a Christmas tree and spoke quickly. “Bokuto slow down! Give the guy some space to take everything in first!

“I just want to see him!” Bokuto screamed and ran out of the room.

“Bo wait!” Kenma yelled to him when the alpha disappeared through the door. “Have you packed your room already?”

An awkward silence was made before Kuroo and Kenma could see two hands appearing on the doorframe, clutching it like a kid using the wall as a protection shield. Soon a bunch of white and gray hair appeared, followed by a forehead and two scared golden globes, but that was all they saw from the alpha’s face.

“Hum… I will do it… later.” Bokuto murmured dejected. Them he shot back and yelled to his friends from down the hallway. “I just want to check on him first!”

Kenma and Kuroo sighed in unison, shoulders slumping.

_“Guess it’s out of our hands now.”_ the alpha thought, _“Want to come with me to pack his room?”_

_“Sure.”_

They left their room with linked hands and warm hearts. Their bond feeling stronger than ever.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“And that was the laundry room, with plant of space for washing, drying and ironing uniforms and such. Pretty cool, right?” Sugawara said with a smile in his face, just like he did in every other room in this place.

“Why do you need so many washing machines and so little ironing tables? This numbers are quite odd.” Yahaba asked with curiosity, since he could count two rows of washing machines inside the room, all of them working at the moment while two omegas watched over them, but there were only a few tables designed for ironing the clothes.

“Oh, we do have more tables, but we keep them at the storage room when we’re not using them all.” Sugawara explained. “There are more alphas than omegas in this squad, and since an omega use one table at a time, regardless of the amount of clothes, we don’t need to keep them all in here. More space for movement this way.”

“Can’t the damn alphas iron their own freaking uniforms?” Yahaba cursed and one of the omegas in the room gasped with scared eyes, being close enough to hear what was said.

“Huh, let’s not… talk about that right now.” Sugawara whispered and Keiji noticed how uncomfortable he was, sending looks behind himself to the other omegas in the room. “Anyway, you guys read for the next stop?” he asked eagerly.

Keiji was not. He was so tired of all of this, all the walking and the showing, all the people running around doing things and such. And he was feeling like shit right now, nausea and chills running down his skin. He didn’t know why, since he woke up somewhat fine, but after the shot he had to take in the infirmary, everything began to look odd and he just wanted to lay back down.

One of the omegas called Sugawara to ask something about the numbers of towels to be packed for the road and the gray haired omega excused himself for a minute. Keiji decided to lean his back against the wall and close his eyes for a minute, being followed by his friend.

“Hey, you ok in there?” Yahaba asked in a low concerned voice.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Keiji lied.

“You do not seen fine, you seen like you’re about to pass out.” he crossed his arms, “I told you to eat more when they took us to the kitchen for breakfast.”

He did and Keiji knew that he should have done it. Yahaba ate like never before, happy to chung down an entire bread that Keiji had never seen so clean and fluffy, so different from the old dark ones they’re used to storage at home, whenever they could find out there. But in his own mouth it tasted like soiled cotton, so strange he couldn’t even describe precisely. It didn’t taste like bread or any food for the matter.

He did not know what was wrong, but he could not eat much of it, and the smell of coffee was hell. Oh, how it nauseated him to no end. Yahaba said it smelled like heaven, but Keiji couldn’t even breathe around it, deciding to not even try the drink he was seeing for the first time in his life. He grew up hearing older omegas complaining about missing the drink they used to love, since no truck ever delivered coffee in the sector, and he was curious for it, but then again, his body had others ideas.

“I know, I just,” Keiji sighed to his friend, “I just want to get out of here. This place makes me feel strange.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get away tonight when the ruckus from the movement begins.” Yahaba whispered confidentially.

“How?” Keiji asked in a low voice. “Did you make any plan?”

“Not a full one right now, but seeing how busy they all are, I think we can try an escapade when they begin to move around outside. Did you see them piling things up in the lobby? Maybe we can find a distraction to sneak away while loading the truck.”

Keiji was stunned, he always thought that Yaku was the strategic one because Yahaba never paid much attention to details back home. He smiled and felt guilty for not having thought about anything like that before, but now a headache was starting.

“And then what?” Keiji asked while rubbing his temples. “How do we go back?”

“Well, I still hadn’t planned that per see…” Yahaba trailed off, “But we’ll find a way. We need to do it today, because we won’t be able to come back to the city if we try to run away on the road.”

That was a fact. Even if they don’t know this sector as well as they know Sector C, this was still a city, with buildings and such. Keiji grew up running and hiding in alleys and dumpsters, they could try it better in here than in the roadside god knows where.

Before they could say anything else a massive body crossed the door to the room in such eager speed that it gave everyone inside a scare jump. Keiji and Yahaba were laying against the wall close to the door, in the perfect spot to see the bulky alpha run inside and collide with one of the washing machines in the center of room.

“Bokuto!” Sugawara screeched suddenly, remembering a little too late that there were others inside the room. “Hum… Alpha Bokuto… how- how can I be of assistance?” he finished while trying to not look to the omegas in the back.

“SUGA!” the alpha shouted after fixing up the machine he almost knocked down, “Is he in here with you!?”

Sugawara made a face, but before he could respond anything, Keiji felt like a breeze of cold wind washed over his face when the alpha caught his scent and looked over his own shoulder, straight to the omega’s face. Keiji’s breath caught up in his throat when the alpha mustered a huge smile and turned to walk toward him.

His golden eyes were shining with such happiness that Keiji felt like the touch of the sun on his face, and for a moment, he did not feel any ache or nausea hitting him anymore. The alpha walked to him until Yahaba growled and stepped between them.

“That’s far enough, back off.” Yahaba threatened.

Keiji saw the alpha’s eyes move to his friend in surprise, like if he just now noticed the other’s presence. 

“Oh, oh yeah, sorry ’bout that!” the alpha smiled shyly but looked back at Keiji. “I just wanted to check on you, have you eaten breakfast yet? I can take you to eat something if-”

“We ate plenty already, you can leave now.” Yahaba cut the alpha’s speech right when Sugawara came running to their side.

“Bokuto, It’s fine, I already got them breakfast.” Sugawara said lowly, trying to stand between Yahaba and the alpha. “What are you doing here? Are you done packing your room?”

Bokuto winned and threw his head back like a child, and Keiji had to hold back the insolent smile that was trying to show on his face. “Don’t wanna! What’s up with you omegas and the whole room packing fixation!?” the alpha said childish.

Sugawara’s face showed a dark smile and Bokuto flinched. “So I believe Kenma asked about that already, right?” the omega mumbled, “Well, you see, we have to ask it all the time because if you don’t do it, then one of us will have to!”

Bokuto took a step back and held his hands with a pledge. “I’ll do it Suga! I swear! I just want to get him breakfast first!” the finished pointing toward Keiji.

“I’m… I’m alright, thank you.” Keiji mustered out.

“Are you sure?” the alpha looked at him suspiciously. “You smell hungry.”

Yahaba gasped outraged and Sugawara growled inside his throat while clutching his own hair. Keiji’s whole face felt warm in sudden embarrassment. To tell the truth he felt like starving right now, since all the nausea just flew out of him the moment the alpha stepped inside the room. Before another word was out, a dark haired alpha came inside and marched straight to them.

“Bokuto Koutarou, what have I told you about keeping your distance?” the alpha roared.

“Dad-chi wait!” Bokuto sounded terrified for a moment, “I wasn’t going to touch him, I swear! I’m just taking him for breakfast!”

“Dai, we told him that we already got breakfast, but his glued to this idea.” Sugawara sighed when the new alpha got closer.

“Alright.” the man nodded to Sugawara and got Bokuto by the ear. “Where do you need me to dump him?”

“In him room. Packing.” Sugawara smiled evilly.

Bokuto whined when the other alpha began to drag him by the ear. Keiji and Yahaba watched them get near the door when the white haired alpha jumped.

“Wait, wait!” Bokuto shouted and looked back to Keiji. “I’m Bokuto! Can you tell me your name?”

The room got silent in anticipation before Yahaba started to growl again.

“The hell he can-”

“Keiji.” he cut his friend. “My name is Keiji.”

Keiji ignored Yahaba’s look of betrayal and focused on Bokuto, whose face lighted up like the morning sky.

“Keiji…” the alpha murmured, tasting the word with care, “Keiji. I liked that. It’s beautiful!”

Keiji’s face got completely red and the other alpha sighed while finishing dragging Bokuto out of the room. Yahaba turned back to him with a scowl.

“Why did you tell him your name?” his friend asked.

“Look, Bokuto’s a good guy, he’s just a little too eager.” Sugawara spoke to them.

“I don’t care how eager he is, he needs to stay away!” Yahaba said.

“It’s ok Yahaba-san,” Keiji sighed, “No ill was done.”

“Are you sure?” Yahaba asked concerned, “You look a little green in there.”

“I’m fine, I promise.” Keiji lied, because once again, the nausea and the headache were back in full force.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

November 8th - 5:15 pm

As he expected earlier the place did become a madhouse in the afternoon. People walked around doing all kinds of tasks and chores, most of it were omegas, carrying and pilling bags and boxes that were going to be loaded in the trucks outside, but some alphas also moved around to deal of the movement of weapons and such.

The lobby was something close to an organized mess. There were things piled up in every corner, but somehow sorted by sector, like kitchen, pantry, laundry and others. Sugawara was in the middle of everything, clipboard and pencil in hand to check again if everything was read to go. The dark haired alpha from before, who they discovered it was the squad’s captain, was walking by his side, pointing and moving things together with the omega.

From the place he was seated on the floor, laying his back onto the east wall of the room, Yahaba could see most of the people that entered carrying knew boxes, as well as the trucks being parked in the front of the building outside the glass doors. He knew by now that the squad was scheduled to departure at six in the evening, which meant that in a few minutes everything would be moved and loaded, and they would leave Tokyo’s base.

He got the plan almost sorted out. They were going to wait for the truck-loading ruckus, find a distraction and then sneak away from there, using the growing shadows of the night to move around through alleys and outside stairways. He knew they needed to avoid main roads and such, as much as any checkpoint in the sector border, which would certainly slow them down, but they needed to manage it.

Yahaba looked to his friend beside him. Keiji was hugging his knees to his chest, head on top of it and breathing slowly. The younger omega was clearly in a bad shape all day, eating basically nothing when they got lunch earlier and getting more and paler as the hours went by. Yahaba knew it was because of the shot he took in the morning, not that he was feeling ill himself, but something inside his mind was telling him that those suppressants were to blame.

That was another reason he needed to get them out of here. Since the morning issue with the shots and especially after Keiji freaked out by the appearance of the commander doctor, Yahaba knew that it wasn’t safe to stay. Not that he wanted to stay, because he would be damned to agree to a forced mating bond without a fight, but truth be said, he ate better today than in years, and the clothes he was given to use after bath are so fluffy and smells so good he could cry.

But he just felt he needed to protect Keiji right now. He never was the overprotective kind, that was Yaku, but right now he felt the urge to keep Keiji safe at all costs. He knew Keiji was strong enough to protect himself, damn he was sure Keiji was stronger than all of them, but that out of nowhere growing responsibility remained inside his chest, and he was going to get them out of there one way or another.

All he needed now was a distraction.

“Hey, you ok in there?” Yahaba asked slowly.

For a moment, there was no reply, but then Keiji turned his face to look at him. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

He was pale, oh god, he was too pale. Yahaba touched their foreheads with his hands to look for signs of fever.

“You’re a little warmer than me, are you sure you can manage it?” Yahaba asked.

“Yes.” Keiji said with conviction. “It’s our only chance, now that they’re busy with everything. Besides, I don’t want to risk being sent to that doctor in the infirmary.”

Yahaba nodded, he knew that the other was talking about the commander’s doctor, not the young alpha doctor, and he did not want to risk that either.

“Well then, hang on in there. You can pass out after we’re back home, I’m sure Yaku would be delighted to curse at us while he tends to you.” Yahaba smiled with the frequent scene.

Keiji chuckled. “I miss him.”

“Me too.” Yahaba sighed and put his arm around Keiji’s shoulder, bringing them closer. “We’ll see him again, I promise.”

“Alright!” came the captain’s voice from the center of the lobby, retrieving silence and attention from everyone that began to gather there. “Let’s get these things inside the trucks, we have 40 minutes before departure time. Let’s move.”

Yahaba and Keiji stood to their feet to see the people begin to move things. Sugawara was still in the center, now pointing what should be moved first and to which truck.

“Come on, let’s go now.” Yahaba said and walked to a pile of boxes that belonged to the medical ward, and that they heard before it would go to the white truck parked farther outside. With so many people moving around, no one actually gave them attention at the moment, too busy moving the kitchen boxes to the first green truck.

“Have you figured out a distraction yet?” Keiji asked him when they both exited the lobby toward the medical truck. There were more alphas walking around outside, either loading weapons and ammo, or personnel suitcases and backpacks.

“Kind of,” Yahaba answered whispering, “I’m thinking about starting a fight.”

Keiji looked at him with suspicious, “Wouldn't that be dumb? We need to distract them with something other than us.”

Yahaba chuckled, “Don’t worry, I won’t be the one fighting.”

They got to the last truck and saw that it was mostly empty, since the first one to be loaded was closer to the front door. Keiji lowered his box to the ground and touched the truck to hold himself up, clearly assaulted from a wave of dizziness with the movement. Yahaba didn’t have the time to tend to him now, so he cursed under his breath, looking around for any signs of being discovered. 

There were no one watching this truck, so they used it as cover while scanning around. From there Yahaba could see the main gate down the ramp, but following the wall he could also see an alley by the side of the garage entrance. The garage was not far from the wall, so maybe they could climb it and jump to the other side.

However, on the other side of the garage building there was a side door connected to the main building, from where he could see alphas showing up with their luggage. The evening was getting darker at that point, and the alley would be a good place to hide, but the door path still had light, so they would really need some distraction.

“Alright, I’ll find ourselves a distraction, you stay here.” Yahaba told Keiji.

“What?!” Keiji looked at him. “No! Let’s stay together.”

“I need you to gather you strength since we’ll need to run next. I’ll come back, now get under the truck.”

Keiji was going to say something else, but instead he closed his eyes and held one hand to his head, breathing in pain. Yahaba sighed and coached the other to lay on the ground and hide under the medical truck.

Once Keiji was out of sight, Yahaba crouched himself beside one of the tires and scanned the area again. There were more people coming from the door and he tried to hide from them without losing sight. He recognized two of them as the alphas that had entered Sector C yesterday, one being the blond that bit him, the other was the spiked hair that tried to take the blond away after he was knocked to the ground. There was a third one he did not recognized, a brunette that kept whining something to the spiked haired.

“Iwaaaa-chaaann… let’s ride in Kuro-chan and Bo-chan’s truck!” Yahaba heard the whining.

“Shut up Shittykawa! I already told you that Daichi asked me to drive the weapons’ truck. You go with the other two if you want.” came the response.

There were more whining and cursing before Yahaba decide to follow them. He crouched down and got himself under the truck beside the medical one, looking back to see his friend still hidden under it. He crawled forward and emerged on the other side of the truck, looking around to confirm no one was watching.

Yahaba saw that the three alphas stopped near the next truck, the spiked haired one told the blond one to hop up in the back and passed him their luggage before walking toward the driver’s door, the brunette following with a pout. Yahaba heard the blond one mumbling something from inside before looking behind himself to notice that more alphas were coming his way.

_Well, better now than never!_

Yahaba waited for the next group of alphas to get near before moving to the back of the truck, sticking his head up to look at the blond that was organizing some boxes inside.

“Hey asshole!” he called to the blond alpha that snapped his head up to look at the truck’s opening. “Want to try pounce at me again like a coward? I’m gonna beat your ass to the ground!”

Yahaba them flipped the alpha off and saw the man’s eyes redden in fury. He watched as the alpha jumped toward him, crouching down in the exact moment that the other group was passing in front of the truck’s opening. Yahaba did not know those other alphas, but the surprise and anger in their faces when the blond alpha landed right at them was enough to show that they would not take it lightly.

The omega had crawled back under the truck when the blond jumped from inside, and there he saw when the other two from before came back running from the front. He crawled out and went for the now opened door and hoped inside, he went for the brake lever and pushed it all down. The ramp was not much inclined, so the truck would move slowly, but enough to give them time to run.

Yahaba jumped out of the driver’s seat and crawled under the truck again, crossing it and going for the next one and them to the one Keiji was under. He noticed that the fight had escalated, with curses and shouts from a bunch of people. One of the alphas threw another one in the back of the truck, which gave the vehicle the impulse to start moving down the ramp. When Yahaba got to Keiji, he could still hear more people running toward the madness he created.

“Hey, I’m back! We need to go, now!” Yahaba said touching the other. Keiji’s head jerked up, eyes frightened like awaked from a nightmare.

_Did he passed out while I was gone?_

“Come on, we gotta move!” Yahaba hurried and Keiji nodded, crawling out from the truck silently.

They stood to their feet and Yahaba grabbed Keiji’s arm to run toward the alley. They got there without interference while people yelled for the moving truck. They entered the alley to find a few dumpsters by the wall.

_Bingo!_

“Keiji come on, hop up!” Yahaba said and stood in position to give the other a lift up.

“I think I’m going to pass out.” Keiji mumbled.

“No!” Yahaba shout-whispered to him. “Not now, we need to leave now.”

Keiji was pale, too pale, even more them before. Yahaba was scared but there was no other way. They had to flee now and they could not do it if he had to carry the other.

“Come on, we’re almost there!” Yahaba pledged. Keiji only nodded and took the aid up, standing on top of the dumpster and leaning his head against the wall.

Yahaba got himself up beside his friend and proceed to climb up the rest of the wall, he could still hear noises from the trucks, which meant they were not found out yet. He got to the top and balanced himself to turn and offer Keiji a hand, ready to pull the other toward him.

“Come on Keiji, give me your hand, path is clear!” he smiled to his friend.

Keiji looked up slowly with glassy eyes and Yahaba’s heart sank. Destiny truly was evil to let them come this far just to rip freedom from them again. Yahaba saw Keiji mumbling an apology while his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell back onto the alley ground. Yahaba screamed his name and tried to hold his hand again, but the younger fell like a sack of old potatoes, too fast and heavy.

Keiji’s body hit the floor and started convulsing, limbs flying everywhere in clear pain. Yahaba jumped back to the alley and landed painful onto his hands and knees, crouching beside his friend while tears rolled down his own face.

“Keiji!” he cried. “Oh God, no! KEIJI!”

The other did not reply, the seizure moving him around on the ground. Drops of blood began to spill from his mouth and Yahaba panicked even more.

“HELP!” he screamed, “Help Please! Someone help us!”

Yahaba cried and yelled as loud as he could, too scared to move from his friend’s side until another presence appeared in the alley. He looked to the entrance and saw the man running toward them, the same one from this morning, the white haired alpha to who Keiji gave his name.

The alpha crouched beside them and asked what was happening, screaming behind himself to other people coming their way. Yahaba couldn’t say anything, his tears running down while his throat constricted with sorrow and fear for his friend’s life.

The alpha’s arms went to lift Keiji and Yahaba panicked more that he would make it worse. He remembered an old lesson at the school that you should never hold onto a seizing person, but when his eyes cleared from the tears, he noticed not only that the alpha already had his friend in his hold, but also that Keiji’s body had stopped moving.

___________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CALM DOWN! HE IS NOT DEAD!
> 
> Hey, hey, hey! Don’t kill me please…  
> So, how is everyone doing? I hope you liked this chapter.
> 
> Has any of you heard that when we write a story it usually takes form on its own? For me the story exists by itself and I am just the tool for it to come to life. That is why sometimes, even if I have the chapter planned, thing just suddenly happens and I get like “oh, ok, I wasn’t going to write it like that now, but I liked it!”  
> And that’s what happened with this chapter. I wasn’t going to talk about Iwa-chan being an empath this soon, but Oikawa just looked at me and said “Nah, I got this!”, and then kidnapped my fic and wrote everything this way! Well, I liked it anyway, so that’s alright.
> 
> ALSO!  
> No one mentioned a few things on the previous chapter that I was hyped about, so either I didn’t write it good enough, or it wasn’t that interesting in the first place… but I will put it here anyway:  
> 1 – Yachi was inside the dumpster on the same alley where Bokuto and Kuroo saved the omega mother. The only reason they didn’t see her peaking at them was because the owl made Bokuto run away toward the gate where Keiji was with the others;  
> 2 – Kyoutani only managed to run away from the base because Oikawa kept asking Iwaizumi where his hair gel was. :)  
> 3 – Keiji and Yaku passed by the two omegas male that bumped into Bokuto and by the mother with the boy while running to the gates, right before the alphas reached the place and knocked out the men that were messing with the woman and the little boy. This is meant to show how close they actually were to each other.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed! See you next week! Be safe and be good!


	9. Promises in the Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you hate me right now? Please be honest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Afternoon People! I'm a little late today, but here's your update!
> 
> Heavy conversations ahead, so read it carefully. See you at the end.

November 9th - 6:30 am – Tokyo’s Sector C

It was already clean sky when Yaku sighed to the persistent night chill that remained in the air. Until now, the weather had not changed much, but it looked like autumn was eager to become winter anytime now, even in early november. 

That was a problem.

Not so much in the aspect of food for now. The supplies Yahaba managed to get through the last delivery would help tremendously, and he trusted that Kaori would take good care of it. No, the problem was getting his friends back before the weather changed completely.

Surely, winter was not supposed to hit until at least next month, but Yaku was a perpetual pessimist in terms of safety. Always looking above his shoulders, always looking out for threats, always preparing for the worst, always needing to be ready, always with a plan.

Until now.

This was the one situation he was not fully ready to deal with. In his mind, the worst-case scenario had always been a soldier invasion to the sector, people looking out to kill them, that would find and finish them with a headshot, fast and clean, robbing him of any chances of protecting Keiji from imminent death.

But not this. This whole kidnapping situation, leaving him behind, no less, was definitely a nightmare. He was not supposed to be left behind with no idea about how Keiji was doing, if he was hungry, if he was frightened, if he was hurt. Yaku had to be by his side, to protect him, to make sure he was alright.

But he failed that. Failed.

He failed the one mission he was born with. The one thing his mother asked him to-

_You know that is not true. You know he is fine and you will find him again._

He sighed and smiled. His mother’s voice never failed in pull him out of his depressing thoughts. He thanked her in his heart like always and went back to his task in hand.

After waking up with Yachi and without his other companions, Yaku had took her back to the inwards of Sector C, straight to the elder’s house and to an anxious Kaori.

“I was so worried!” she had told him while opening the door for them, “You boys were gone for so long we thought something bad had happened!”

Yaku stepped inside the house followed by a quiet and shivering Yachi. The blond girl hid behind him while trying to disappear from Kaori’s sight. The older girl frowned at them and looked outside.

“Where are the others?” Kaori asked slowly. “Keiji-san and Yahaba-san?”

Yaku sighed. “Something… happened.”

“Are they alright?” she asked in fear, panic rising by the second. “Oh God, are they injured? Were they beaten? Are they dead?!”

“Kaori-chan,” Hana’s voice came from down the hallway, stopping the girl’s rambling and bringing everyone's attention to her. “Why don’t we bring them to the living room so that we can talk more comfortably?” she smiled, already heading in that direction, knowing the place like the back of her hand.

Kaori agreed with embarrassment and showed the way, asking them both to feel at home and offering a glass of water. Yaku breathed in relief, thanking every holy entity for Hana’s existence. Yachi followed wide eyed, always behind Yaku, but now curious about all these older omegas that were appearing from doors down the hall and up the stairs. She never saw elder omegas before, and the house seemed old too, but very well taken care of, emitting some kind of a nice and cozy feeling.

_Like home._ The girl thought to herself.

“Oh dear, thank you!” Hana’s laugh came to them, “We try. Please, make yourself at home.”

The three young omegas blinked surprised but the elder only chuckled again. She was already seated in a small futon with others that came together to also hear about the last few days. Yaku sighed when everyone was set, all eyes looking at him waiting.

“They were kidnapped by alpha sentinels.” he said without small talk.

Gasps of surprise were heard through the room, a few curses too, followed by reprimands from others.

“How could they do that! And why?” came the question from a blond male by their right.

“I’ll tell you why!” a brunette woman said two spots away. “They did it because they’re good for nothing scums that likes to treat us like pets!”

“Watch your language! There are children here!” a third one said.

“Well, it’s good for the girl to know this!” another woman said “This way she remembers to stay far away from the gate!”

“But we only have food because the boys go to the gate!” the blond male from before said again, hands up in the air.

“Well, and look where it got them now! Poor Kei-chan and Shigeru-chan are gone! They might as well being tortured as we speak!”

More curses and gasps echoed the room, the elders all lost in their banter while imagining all the ways that the boys could be tortured. Yachi’s eyes widened more to some of the painful examples, and Kaori pinched between her eyes and sighed to the more ridiculous ones.

“Why would someone torture the boys with a tickling feather to their feet, you stupid old rag!” one of them said to another.

“They could too!” came the exasperated reply. “They could laugh until wetting themselves! That is torture!”

“And I bet you already know this from experience!” a third one said and they all suddenly roared with laughter. Kaori smiled apologetic at Yachi, the girl looking like not knowing what was happening anymore.

“They’re not being tortured.” came Hana’s voice, even and soft, but powerful enough to shut up the room. “They are not. You would know, right sweetheart?” She finished toward Yaku.

He searched for a feeling inside himself before responding. “I don’t believe they are, I think they’re ok for now.”

Hana nodded. “So they are fine. You would know, you are their pack, there’s no strong emotion they can feel that you wouldn’t sense somehow, even from afar.”

Whispers of agreement erupted from the elders and Yachi got extremely confused with the knowledge. Hana smiled at her again, her blind sight turning exactly to the girl’s location.

“Don’t worry dear, I can explain to you later.” she said kindly. “But now tell us, who are you?”

Yachi jumped in surprise and bowed her head to the small center table. “I am Yachi Hitoka! Pleasure to meet you!”

“Oh dear! So polite!” Hana smiled. “Where did you come from?”

“I’m… I’m from an omega school in Sector B.” she answered and the room became quiet again.

“Oh, that place.” Someone said in the back and others agreed, surprising Yachi that they would even know the place.

“Don’t worry dear,” a woman took Yachi’s hand cradled in her own, “you don’t have to think about it anymore, you’ll be safe with us.”

Yaku saw how Yachi’s eyes widened, tears threatening to fall. He heard her thanking them between whispered breaths and smiled, he had not even asked them to take her in yet and she was already welcomed at home. Some of the elders made their way toward her, petting her hair and back and telling how cute she was. Yaku breathed in relief and looked forward again, noticing that Hana’s sight was directed to him again.

“So dear, what else?” she asked when the talk once again receded. “I’m feeling that you’re not thinking about this as a simple kidnapping.”

“Hunf…” he grumbled, “I don’t know…”

“Yes, you do.” Hana said, “Just trust your gut and open your mind to the memories inside. What did you see?”

Yaku thought for a moment, the room silent in anticipation. Images of the night before rushing back to him while he felt the older woman’s mind nudge the corners of his own. He saw again as Yahaba was jumped by that blond alpha, how himself was hit and thrown away on the dark ground. He remembered seating up to see Keiji and Yahaba leaving the store, just to be met with more alphas outside, the two that they would throw in the sewer ditch later on.

_Mate?_

He had heard the alpha say to Keiji. No, not heard, he was too far for it. He had shared Keiji’s thought at the time, he knew. Just as he also knew that his friend was too busy to even realize that he had connect their minds together.

“He… one of them called Keiji by Mate.” Yaku said slowly, opening his eyes without even realizing he had closed them.

The room became dead quiet, not even the old house was doing its regular noises.

“At first sight?” Hana asked a minute later.

“Yes… but-” Yaku tried just to be cut off.

“What did Kei-chan do?” Hana asked decided.

“He ran away, of course!” Yaku responded, “He took off without a second thought. Threw himself in that maze of buildings to try losing the alpha.”

“Hum… understandable. The shock and all,” Hana was murmuring to herself, but loud enough for everyone to hear, “But how did Keiji looked while running? Did he looked desperate or disgusted?”

“What kind of question is that?” Yaku was becoming impatient. “He was running for his life, the alpha was on his trail basically the entire time!”

Hana was going to add another question when one of the others asked, “Did Kei-chan tried to kill the alpha?”

Yaku raised one eyebrow, “No. But I did.”

“And what did he do when you tried that?” another one asked.

“Am I in a hearing or something?” Yaku sighed before continuing, “Keiji looked concerned at the time, and them apologetic when we threw the alpha in a ditch.” the elder omegas gasped in unison. “Is that so surprising that he didn’t want me to kill a person?”

“It’s not the killing, but the apologetic part that is interesting.” Hana said thoughtfully.

It was Yachi’s time to gasp at that, while Kaori only let an exasperated _“Baa-chan!”_

Hana waved her hand in the air to dismiss the little reprimand before continuing with her interrogation. “Was Keiji acting weird somehow?”

“Weird?” Yaku scoffed, “Keiji acted weird all day. Sleep walking and talking about invisible owls or something.” he remembered fondly.

The silence that followed was worse than ever. Yaku and the girls looked around the room to the elders’ faces, each of them masked in looks of surprise, concern and, excitement? No one said anything, but they were clearly a second away from explosion.

“Did you see any owl?” Hana asked seriously as if voicing everyone’s thoughts.

“No, I didn’t.” Yaku answered equally serious. “There are no owls around here, Keiji must have dreamed about it or something.

“Or something.” Hana whispered. “Did you see him try touching it somehow?” she asked louder.

Yaku was about to deny it in the spot, really about to snap at them all for losing time with a dream animal. However, he stopped and remembered things he saw when he got to his feet to run after Keiji and the alpha. It took him a while to find Keiji between buildings and alleys, but he had followed their mind connection until he got to his friend, just to see the other running while waving his arms in the air as if trying to dismiss or drive something away. The omega almost turned into an empty alley and also almost ran into a wall, which would definitely get him caught by the alpha.

“There, that memory there. Tell us.” Hana told him suddenly.

Yaku sighed defeated. “There was one moment that… that Keiji was waving his arms in the air while running, which seemed like a waste of energy at the time.” he stopped and frowned to the small center table. “But he could have been trying to get something away from his face and head. Maybe.”

Dead silence, and not a minute after, deafening screams and cheers.

Hana was smiling softly, her blind eyes shining from the morning light coming from the window. The others were much wilder with their sudden commemoration. The three young omegas watched startled as the elders began to celebrate, some of them jumping to their feet and hugging each other, others began to cry at the spot, and all kinds of speculations and bets were throw in the air.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!” said a crying woman.

“It’s it, isn’t it? Hana! It’s his destined one!” yelled a man while hooked onto his friend’s shoulder in a side hug.

“Oh God! That is so romantic!” the first woman said again, still crying while being swallowed in the others' noises.

“Do you think they mated yet? Do you think the baby will be a boy or a girl?” another woman said to a terrified wide-eyed Yachi.

“WHAT!!?” Yaku screamed jumping to his feet.

“People!” Kaori said exasperated “What on earth are you all talking about!?”

“Keiji’s not mating anyone! Why are you talking about babies?” Yaku told the room.

“But it’s his destined one, Mori-kun!” a new voice cried in joy.

“Stop this nonsense! The guy chased him down and kidnapped him!” Yaku yelled in fury. “No one gave him a choice, no one even asked what he wanted! And you’re all okay with that!?”

The noise subdued and the room got an awkward silence with a few whispered thoughts running wild. The elders looked a little sad now, sulking in what was said last. Yaku remained standing, hands in closed fists by his sides. He was furious and the room started to feel constricted in his angry scent. He was almost bolting out of the house when Hana spoke again.

“Yaku, please seat back down sweetheart.” she said calmly.

“No Baa-chan,” he responded in a sigh, “I’m sorry, but I believe it is better for me to go now.”

“Morisuke.” Hana said sternly. “Seat.”

Yaku and the others were taken aback by her tone, it was not harsh neither loud, but it carried the ‘no joking’ weight in it. The young omega sighed again, sitting back on his spot and looking at her in silence.

“First,” she started again in her motherly tone, “I’m sorry for our outburst. I understand that this situation is not ideal, that it is unfair that all of you have to fight for your lives every day just to acquire a bag of rice. It is unfair that omegas have to live from garbage cans and scraps, while others have everything better just by being born another gender.”

She waited a moment so that her apology could reach the young ones properly, in time, Yaku’s angry scent began to dissipate.

“But you also need to understand something in here, Morisuke dear.” she reached out and he let her hands hold his own. “We old people came from a time when fated mates were treasured. They meant not just dreams and romance, but also strong bonds and stability, especially in Keiji’s bloodline. If that alpha is Keiji’s single one, and if Keiji feels like to be his mate, then you won’t be able to separate them, and it will all be for the best in the end.”

“But how can you be sure that the guy is Keiji’s fated?” Yaku sighed defeated.

“The invisible owl is our best bet.” Hana said with a soft smile while petting his hand. “If that is true, and the owl is his animal guide, then it was most probably trying to unite the two of them.”

“But Yaku-san is not wrong.” Kaori joined the conversation. “How can we be sure that this alpha is a good person? He did chase after Keiji-san, and he did take him away.”

“Again, this will be for Keiji to decide.” Hana sighed. “Unfortunately like I said, this is not ideal, but I believe that Keiji is strong and smart enough to decide if that is the alpha he wants.”

“But will he be able to defend himself if the bond is forced on him?” Kaori asked concerned.

“Well, maybe not resist physically if the alpha does rape him.” Hana said with a disgusted face. “But once the mind link is established, Keiji can melt the alpha’s brain like pudding and take revenge in his hands.” she finished happier.

Yaku ended up chuckling at that. God knew he would kill the alpha himself if he so much thought about hurting Keiji in anyway, but he also trusted that his friend was strong enough to take matters in his own hands, and he knew that Yahaba would be there to help murder anyone he wanted.

“But will that be really okay?” Yachi said suddenly and all eyes turned to her. She looked like she did not realized she had spoken out-loud, but they all waited for her to continue. “I… I mean… that alpha is a sentinel. Keiji-san would be in trouble if he just kill him in there.”

“And while that’s true, I also believe that Keiji will wait for the right time. And on top of that, our Yaku here will make sure that our little omega is in a safe environment before planning the alpha’s murder.”

Gasps were heard again when Kaori raised her voice exasperated. “Baa-chan! You cannot throw this onto Yaku-san! How is he supposed to save Keiji-san by his own? It is too dangerous!”

“I don’t need to throw him anything.” Hana laughed. “Our Morisuke here is a Yaku my dear, he got his mind set up into this before even walking into this house.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Kaori asked tired.

“That means,” Yaku looked at her with a smile, “I’m going after Keiji and Yahaba. Fate or no fate, I’m getting them back. It is not safe to Keiji to stay near those alphas, he need to stay as far away as possible from any government person, his life depends on it. And it is my responsibility to make it happen."

Kaori looked at him confused, about to say more when Hana spoke to her again. “Do not worry dear, I will tell you the whole story another time. But for now, our Morisuke has a job to do, and I am sure he will succeed, just like his mother and many others before him did.”

And he will succeed, even if his own life depends on it.

The conversation got a lot more practical and strategic after that. The great problem was how to get out of Sector C and then successful reach the sentinel base in Sector A, and they didn’t even want to talk about how getting the two omegas out of the facility. Kaori, who grew up in Sector B until presenting omega, told him that only beta employees or alphas had permission to cross the borders between the sectors, and she herself never had even attempted to go there.

“So you are obviously not a beta employee. Seems to me that you’re going to need an alpha.” came Hana’s easy solution.

“The hell I will!” Yaku had said before realizing, apologizing shyly for his language, “I’m sorry Baa-chan, but we cannot trust them. I will just sneak my way there, I will hide during day and move after nightfall. If anyone sees me, I’ll try to persuade their mind to forget about me.”

“First of all, that will take forever.” Hana reasoned. “And second, that tactic will only work while you don’t cross with someone with a decent Shield in their minds. As far as I know, the first mated sentinel in your way will blow the plan up in an instant.”

Yaku sighed, she had a point, as always. “But how am I supposed to trust an alpha that we never heard about, and more, trust that he will take me to where Keiji and Yahaba are being held?”

“Well, since it is the Sentinel Base, you’re going to need an alpha sentinel.” Hana said, “And if you was left behind when the other two were taken, it means that they didn’t come here to collect omegas, but they chose them specifically. They won’t come back for you right now.”

“So he can’t sneak up there, neither find himself a sentinel in the near future.” Kaori sighed. “See, it is too dangerous. What other options we even have?”

“Well, that is simple.” Hana smiled. “He is going to make himself one.”

The room got silent again, looks of surprise and confusion everywhere.

“And how am I supposed to do that again?” Yaku raised an eyebrow.

“Oh darling, that is too easy.” Hana smiled and turned toward Yachi. “But first let us all hear how a sentinel is born. That was your reality my girl, can you tell us?”

“Oh!” Yachi jumped by the sudden attention. “Oh well… all… all I know is that we omegas had to train in the school to be an empath, that is, well… if we managed the ability to create a protection shield in someone’s mind, we could be sorted out to mate a sentinel.”

Grunts and low growls of distaste echoed the room.

“I… well-” Yachi tried to continued but was afraid that the others were mad at her.

“Go on darling, it is not your fault, it is the system.” Hana smiled at her.

The girl breathed relieved before continuing. “That is, basically what I know. The alphas that choose us come from the sentinel academy, and they always have at least three stars in their uniforms.”

“Huh, that’s interesting.” Yaku murmured. “I never saw an alpha patrolling our sector with three stars, only two or one.”

“That is because only a level three alpha or above can become a sentinel. Levels two and one are sent to the city police or the beta school.” Kaori said suddenly and they looked startled at her. “What? You always seems to forget that I went to school for years before coming here.”

Yaku chuckled, yes he often forgets about that. The truth is that Yahaba never wanted to talk about his family abandoning him after that first night while presenting, so they just buried their friend’s past as a beta in the past and never talked about anything outside the sector’s fence.

“So do you see now your way out my boy?” Hana asked returning the topic in point.

“No,” Yaku looked at her, “what does it help me to know that levels one and two are losers in their own system? Serve them right, I think.”

“Agreed.” Hana laughed along with a few others for Yaku’s last comment, “But that does give you a chance. You just need to get yourself a level two officer on the border and make him a level three. Enhance one more of their senses and you’ll have a brand new sentinel to be sent to the base, who will need to take you with as an empath guide.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Kaori said hurryingly. “How can Yaku-san just enhance another person’s sense?”

“Same process as the one needed to make a baby.” an omega male laughed in the back.

“Oh! Another baby!” a woman squealed.

Yaku’s face got bright red at the comments rising up in the room. “WHAT! I’m not mating anyone, if that is what you’re all implying!”

“And what is this sudden fixation with babies?” Kaori sighed.

“Babies are important.” Hana said devilishly toward Yaku. “They keep the dynasty running. But no, I do not expect you to mate an alpha right now. There are other ways to enhance a sense, and that you’ll be able to do in a heartbeat.” she finished while tapping the side of her own head.

“What do you even mean Baa-chan?” Kaori asked again while everyone looked to Hana.

“I believe Morisuke knows.” the old woman answered satisfied.

“Yeah.” Yaku said slowly. “I think I know.”

The omegas' little gathering ended fast after that was said. Hana had suddenly said that they should have a meal together, both to welcome Yachi to their house and to bid Yaku goodbye, since according to her, they would not be seeing each other for a while. They cooked a little portion of rice that Yahaba had got them the night before during the Hunt, ate together with laughs and tears all around, and then parted ways for god knows how long.

Hana had come to Yaku one last time and hugged him close. She told him to be brave and to have faith. Said that he should not be anxious and spoil his plan, even if it take too long to get to his friends. Hana told Yaku that things would happen the way they should, but that she knew in her heart that they would all be together alive in the end.

“Things will happen the way they’re supposed to, my daring. All you can do is be ready when the time comes.”

And that thought was still with him while he walked the sector border. Hana made him thoughtful but also a little relieved, but his anxiousness came back in the evening when he could feel that something was wrong. He felt in his heart that something happened to Keiji the night before, feeling his chest constricting and a cold sweat running down his back. He felt sick to his stomach and he was sure that Keiji was not so well anymore.

However, there was nothing he could do for him other than pray that Yahaba was there to care for their friend. In time, the sensation went away and he felt like drowning in a deep slumber, so he gathered that Keiji had probably passed out at some point, and that got tears to his eyes again while he wished to be by his side.

Nothing changed much during night and Yaku walked by the fence looking out for any possible level two alpha. Since he could not see much in the dark, he had settled to hear talks and feel different levels of power and presences, but found out pretty much nothing out there.

Now it was morning again, one whole day after he lost his friends two nights ago. He felt lonely but also decided to do something about it, being that with the ‘finding an alpha’ plan, or the ‘sneak his way out there’ plan. He was getting impatience, but he could not really do anything about it, and Hana’s voice kept coming back to his mind to tell him to not screw things up for good.

“As if it is that easy.” Yaku talked out loud to himself. He was by the fence but far from the entering gate, shadowed by a thin building in the morning light. He sat down for a moment and sighed closing his eyes.

He did not realize that he had napped for a while there, which was not a surprise after being awake all night, until approaching voices came to his ears to wake him up with a startle. He slid down toward a little ditch that was nearby to get himself away from outside view and waited, lying on the ground to hear what he could. 

He felt their presence before hearing their voices again. Two alpha officers were patrolling outside the fence, one talking as if he was the master of the world, while the other was responding and asking things in a too loud voice.

“Never forget rookie, no omega can leave this sector, make sure to get anyone that tries to cross the fence.” said the rough voice.

“Yes Sir!” came a too happy reply.

“No one is allowed to enter either, and keep your eyes open for anyone from this side that tries to smuggle anything through the fence. Be that food or anything else.”

“Oh… why would someone smuggle food inside Sir?” the young voice asked.

“That doesn’t matter rookie! Just beat anyone that tries to do it!” came the angry reply.

The young officer seemed a little confused at that and did not say anything immediately, so Yaku risked to lift his head a little to look at the men that had passed without noticing him. Yaku saw a bulk middle-aged man and a ridiculous tall young man, silver hair and long limbs that seemed too clumsy for his own good.

Yaku kept looking as the men walked away from him when suddenly something landed on top of his head, making him hit his nose onto the ground. He cursed and looked up again to see a cat in front of his face, big light green eyes staring right into his own. Before he could do anything, the cat ran away to hike the fence, jumped to the ground on the other side and ran straight to the previous alphas. The feline then jumped onto the young alpha’s back, screeching while pawing painfully at the man’s hair.

The alpha screamed in pain and his weapon hit the ground by his feet. The older one cursed at him and punched his side, telling the young one to keep himself together. The cat took off running and disappeared near the buildings.

“I’m sorry Sir!” the young alpha cried while trying to retrieve his weapon. “It was that brown cat that attacked me!” he finished pointing toward the way the cat had run.

“Are you stupid boy? There was no cat here! Get your shit together!” the angry alpha replied.

Yaku remained in his place seeing the young one mumble something before following the other alpha that took off first, not missing when the alpha also tripped and almost fell in his run after his superior.

_“How am I going to just pick up an alpha?”_ Yaku remembered himself asking Hana the day before.

 _“Just get a dumb one, there’s plenty of them out there!”_ It was her reply.

Yaku stood to his feet and began to walk the same direction the others did. Better now than never, he thought to himself. While walking with purpose he realized that the alpha might as well be color blind, because he was sure that the previous cat was not brown, but a light grey one.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

November 9th - 11:15 am – Sentinel Squad

Bokuto was furious.

He could feel his own blood running through his veins, his breath exiting his nose and fingers stinging in anticipation to hit something.

Or, someone.

He could not even close his eyes the whole night before, not even trying to pretend to. Daichi had told Asahi to give him some sleeping pills to help calm him down after last evening, but his nerves were just too on edge to let the medicine work. As a result, he had spent the night awake, watching the city’s lights from afar while the whole squad drove away to their next base. By the time they stopped to eat and take a nap around eleven or something, Bokuto left his truck and went to the omegas’ down the line to see how his mate was doing.

In that first night no one actually set up a proper camp, since they would be leaving at first light the next day, so most people just took out their sleeping bags and laid down between the vehicles, while some alphas stood on their own driver’s seats. The omegas' truck was one of the smallest ones, so some of them usually sleep all crowded together while others take the bags to the side of the road, but that night Suga kept them all off the truck to give Keiji some space.

Keiji.

That was his mate’s name. It was such a beautiful name that Bokuto could not stop repeating it inside his head.

Keiji was also the reason Bokuto could not sleep. He was so terrified that Keiji was ill that it took everything inside him to not cry at the spot. The image of the omega’s trashing body would not leave his head, and he kept seeing that moment over and over again during the whole drive.

He had just left the base’s main building with his luggage, Kuroo beside him, when Kyoutani’s fight by the trucks started. They had just stepped through the corner to see Iwaizumi and Oikawa joining to try stopping the angry alphas, dropping their bags on the ground and running to help their friends. Oikawa dodged a punch and threw one of the alphas to the side, slamming the guy in the back of the truck, which made the vehicle start moving forward down the small ramp.

Daichi was just running toward the mess when Bokuto reached the fight to start throwing punches, the captain saw the moving truck and yelled for someone to stop it. Kuroo was in Bokuto’s tail just to change course and run to the truck as fast as he could. Luckily, the driver’s door was open to allow him to jump inside and use the brakes to avoid any damage beside the little scare.

The fight ended with many screams while Bokuto and Iwaizumi pinned a bunch of alphas to the ground, two each, and Oikawa held Kyoutani against the wall. Daichi was furious while reprimanding them all while Kuroo came back with a sloppy smile in the face, the asshole. However, Bokuto still felt like something was off, he had been feeling that way all afternoon actually.

Then his heart suddenly hurt and his blood froze inside his veins. All the noises around him were muted and things were starting to turn grey to his eyes. His ears captured an animal noise down the side of the garage and he turned to see the little brown owl flying desperately around the alley, screeching at him with shining eyes. But the noise that came to his ears was somehow translated inside his brain.

_Help!_

He shot up and ran ignoring all his friend’s calls. When he got to the alley, his sight automatically adjusted to the growing shadows of the early evening and he saw the two omegas clearly beside one of the big dumpster. The brunette one was crying loudly while calling for his friend, then he seemed to notice Bokuto’s presence and they both locked eyes.

Desperation was all Bokuto saw on those eyes when the omega yelled at him for help. He could feel his friends approaching him and yelled for a doctor before running into the alley. Keiji was thrashing around with drops of blood down his chin and Bokuto’s heart sank. The other omega was crying and mumbling things that he wasn’t paying attention to. Kuroo reached him and said that Daichi went to get Asahi, Suga and Kenma came running faster than any other alpha did, but Bokuto paid no mind to any of them, eyes focused on the raven omega that he wanted to hold so bad.

And as if granting his wish, Keiji’s body slowly calmed down. All noises started to come back to his ears when he scooped the omega in his arms, touching Keiji's head to his chest and caressing the smooth black hair. The thing he notice the most then was the other omega’s cries of guilt, saying that he knew he should have watched Keiji closer, that he should know the other was getting sick, that he shouldn’t let ‘those’ alphas give him that shots...

_What?_

Bokuto had looked to the sobbing omega at that but before he could ask his questions, Daichi and Asahi came to their side, the doctor kneeling in front of him.

“Bokuto, here. Let me see him.” the alpha doctor said while reaching out to touch Keiji.

Bokuto growled and fixed the alpha with bright eyes, fangs in full display while clutching the raven omega to his chest, shielding him from anyone else. Everyone went silent and Kuroo pushed Kenma behind himself.

“Easy,” Asahi said slowly while raising his hands in the air like a surrender, not losing contact with Bokuto’s eyes. “I just want to see if he’s alright, you asked for a doctor, didn’t you?”

“Bokuto!” Daichi said angry when the white haired alpha growled again, but Suga touched his mate’s arm.

“Calm down,” Suga told him, “he is protecting the omega, we cannot touch them now.”

But against all that warning, Bokuto’s arm was hit by no other than the brunette omega. “Stop squeezing him, you idiot! You are going to suffocate him that way. Let go!” The omega cried and punched his arm again.

Bokuto turned with a ferocious growl, ready to bite the omega’s hand off but stopped suddenly. Out of nowhere, his brain cleared and he felt with certainty that Keiji would not want him to hurt this omega. He looked to his friends around him and eased his grip, showing Keiji’s body to the doctor.

Asahi was surprised by that and went to touch the omega in slow motion, only doing it properly when he noticed that Bokuto’s eyes had come back to normal. The doctor took Keiji’s vitals and said that he seemed stable, but asked Bokuto to bring him to the medical truck to see for other things.

After they got to the truck things got a little better, until the commander stepped out of the building to demand explanations about why the loading was late in the schedule. Daichi went straight to him while Suga ran back to speed the other omegas, Kenma following after. Asahi rooked Keiji onto an IV and said that he seemed dehydrated, but otherwise he was fine for now.

Bokuto didn’t like that, he knew that a seizure wasn’t normal and he wanted to take Keiji to a hospital, but the commander went to them to demand things to move faster, saying that the medical truck needed to be ready for departure and that any sick omegas should be moved to the omegas’ truck. Bokuto almost snapped at him, but Daichi gave him a piercing look and Kuroo physically held him back. They ended up placing Keiji on the back of the omegas’ truck, his friend right beside him holding the IV, while Asahi gave Suga instructions about feeding him something and giving him pills in a few hours.

The moving moved on and that was only frosting to Bokuto’s furious cake. Keiji was clearly sick and people just seemed to not care about that. Asahi told him that there were no hospitals for omegas, and Daichi said that if they leave Keiji behind, then the commander would probably throw him in the breeding center for not being strong enough to follow up with the squad. Therefore, the best thing for the omega now was to go with them.

Keiji was still sleeping when Bokuto went to the omegas’ truck at night, lying down on the back with his friend seated beside him, awake like a hawk. The other omegas were sleeping in their camping bags outside the truck, Kenma nowhere in sight, which meant that Kuroo was probably sneaking him into their truck for the night. Bokuto approached the back of the truck and looked inside.

“Hey,” he whispered to the omega still awake, “may I come and sit with you?”

All he got as reply was a look and a slow nod. He jumped inside and seated himself down, watching Keiji’s sleeping form, quiet and peaceful. He sighed in relief and looked to the other beside him.

“Thank you for taking care of him.” he said slowly.

The omega scoffed. “If by taking care you mean holding him in place while this damn truck rock us around against one another like a bunch of animals going for slaughter, then sure, you’re welcome.”

“Was it that crowded in here?” Bokuto looked at the other with wide eyes.

“How do you think it is with this much people in the back of one truck?” the omega answered pointing to the sleeping forms outside.

“I’m sorry, I… I wish I could move him to my truck, it’s just me and Kuroo there in the driver’s cabin…” Bokuto said sadly.

“You’re not taking him anywhere out of my sight!” the omega told him in a low growl.

Bokuto looked at him again and then to the sleeping raven. The IV bag had been emptied a while back and he seemed much better.

“Anyway, thank you for caring for him.” Bokuto sighed again.

“Screw you, I’m not doing you any favor.” the omega said, “I’ve known him for years, we’re family.”

Bokuto smiled at that, he knew that kind of bond. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Yahaba,” the omega sighed. “No much need to keep that a secret anyway.”

“Well, I’m Bokuto Koutarou! Nice to meet’cha!”

“Can’t say the feeling is mutual.”

Bokuto frowned at that but let it go. He looked back at Keiji before continuing in a low voice.

“Huh… what did you mean earlier, about some shots?”

Yahaba sighed. “They gave us those damn suppressants shots when we woke up in the infirmary. I’m sure that was what made him sick.”

“But,” Bokuto scratched his head, “Asahi told me that the shots wasn’t supposed to do that. And I know that Kenma and Suga both takes them from time to time, and they never got this sick.”

“Well, I didn’t get sick either!” Yahaba snapped at him. “But Keiji is different! All I know is that he was fine when he woke up, but since he took that, I could somehow feel him getting worse by the hours. Besides, we didn’t even want to take them in the first place!”

Bokuto’s eyes widened at that. “Did they force you to take it?”

Yahaba scoffed and looked back at his sleeping friend. “You sound like this place would give us any choice.”

“Why wouldn’t you have a choice?” Bokuto asked innocently.

Yahaba growled at him with furious eyes. “Oh yeah?! Please do tell me when did you give us any choice about this? Was it before or after you all chased us down back in Sector C? Oh! Maybe it was when you shot down and kidnapped us, leaving our friend to fend for himself after being knocked out unconscious. Maybe that was the time we gave you permission for anything!”

Bokuto was taken aback by Yahaba’s growing rage, his voice raising up with every line. The alpha rose his hands in the air to show surrender, not saying another word. When Yahaba mumbled some more curses and turned to Keiji again, Bokuto looked outside the truck to see that Suga had raised his head in worry, laying back down after Bokuto signalized that they were fine.

“I never meant for it to happen this way.” Bokuto said slowly after a moment of silence. “I mean it. I was just going to talk to him and ask him properly. I didn't mean to make this mess.”

“Talk, yeah.” Yahaba scoffed again. “That would be before or after you rape him for mating?”

Bokuto’s eyes widened and he looked angrily at the omega. “I would never rape him, nor anyone! I want to be his mate but I would never rape him!”

Yahaba looked unfazed at him, seeming to analyze if the alpha was telling the truth. “Huh. And what if he had said no to you?”

“Then I… I guess I would still want to be his friend.” Bokuto’s anger faded fast and he looked dejected at the ground. “Well, I still do want to know and befriend him before asking him out.”

Yahaba watched the alpha for a moment. “I don’t believe you.”

Bokuto was about to say something else when a noise in the distance caught his attention, some alphas were talking up front the line of parked trucks, but he relaxed again when he picked up it was just normal conversation. Normal conversation that he was hearing too clear for his taste, which meant his hearing sense was better than normal at the moment, he would need to talk to Asahi in the morning to check if his medicine was wearing off.

Thinking about his enhanced sense made him look back at the sleeping omega again. Keiji seemed to be peaceful right now, his chest moving up and down slowly, no signs of distress of any kind. That thought brougth a smile to his face, he wish that he could sleep that good himself right now.

But he could not. There was too much in his mind right now, too much about his life, his mate’s health, the shots that were imposed on him, the long road journey they had ahead of them, his senses about to pop out anytime…

Well, that was it. No sleep for him tonight.

“You can go take a nap if you like.” Bokuto said kindly to Yahaba. The omega was seated while wrapped in a thin blanket, eyes glued on Keiji like a hawk. “It’ll be a long day tomorrow. I can watch over him for you.” the alpha finished.

“Over my dead body.” Yahaba deadpanned without looking at him.

Bokuto frowned his eyebrows but let it go again. He did not resent Yahaba’s rudeness, he felt like he knew where it was coming from, and they did kidnapped them from their home, after all. And he still had that feeling inside that told him that Keiji would not want them to fight. So he would try to be friends with the brunette omega, as long as it may take.

And the night went by that way. Keiji slept through it all, but Bokuto and Yahaba did not even blink an eye. At some point in the night, Bokuto left them alone and went for a walk, imagining that the brunette omega would feel more inclined to take a nap if he wasn’t around, but when he came back an hour later, Yahaba was still seated there, as awake as he was. They did not talk anymore until the break of dawn, the early sunlight reaching them to announce the start of a new day.

People started to wake up a while later and the squad prepared to move forward after a quick breakfast. Bokuto saw that Kenma suddenly appeared as if by magic among the omegas that were serving food, giving him and Yahaba some. A few minutes later Kuroo came to retrieve him to their truck, announcing that Daichi wanted to hit the road in five.

And the morning went by this way. Bokuto’s anger grew by the hour while his restless mind kept running about how Keiji was forced to take something that made him sick, just to be crowded in a truck for hours instead of receiving proper medical assistance in a hospital. He was also angry because this damn road trip was keeping him away from the sick omega.

“Chill out, will you?” Kuroo told him suddenly. “We’ll be stopping for lunch anytime now, you’ll be able to have a look at him again.”

“I could be watching him right now if they just let me bring him with us since we have plenty of space in the back seat.” Bokuto scowled.

“Oh yeah, and then what? How would you explain to the commander that you were giving special treatment to omegas in the middle of a mission?”

“That’s not fair Kuroo! He is sick, and everyone knows it!” Bokuto whined. “He should be in a proper bed, not squished up with others in the back of a truck. Why would anyone tell the commander if I try to get him a better place to rest?”

“Look, I totally agree with you.” Kuroo sighed. “If this were a smaller mission just with the ones from our close pack, then it wouldn’t be a problem. We are all worried about you guys, I mean it, but there are more people around, people that will not be in the squad in the near future. We cannot leave place for them to talk about us when we reach the new base.”

Bokuto sighed and crossed his arms, he knew Kuroo was right. There were alphas in the squad that were about to be transfered to other ones, and they were all ready to snitch any of them to the commander to make their promotion faster. It was not secret that people were just waiting for a chance to end their careers with a dishonorable discharge, ending for good their places in the sentinels and locking their omegas in the breeding school. Sentinel Division IV was the only place that they could be free with their own ideas, but only if they act smart about them.

However, things were about to get better. The squad would be smaller again after the transfers, and they would be just the close pack of losers they usually were. He just needed to wait a little longer, he knew he would be able to take care of Keiji better in the new base.

“Where are we going anyway?” Bokuto asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Wow, you really wasn’t paying attention to the last meeting at all, were you?” Kuroo deadpanned.

“Shut up, I was busy thinking about other things.” Bokuto mumbled.

“Yeah, right.” Kuroo chuckled before continuing. “We’re going to the sentinel base in Fukuoka to replace the Sentinel Division I that is to be moved back to Tokyo for the events of the New Year.”

“WHAT!” Bokuto jumped. “Fukuoka!? That’s miles away! Why didn’t commander send us there by plane!?”

“One, because commander hate us and he very much tells us that all the time.” Kuroo smirks sarcastically, “And two, because there’s a few small towns on the way there that might be showing signs of disorder, so they want us to take a look.”

“Oh, so they are making us drive for days while we have to terrorize locals with our presence before their beloved Squad One take a direct flight to New Year’s celebrations in the capital?” Bokuto said.

“Pretty much that, yeah.” Kuroo said.

“That’s bullshit.”

“Welcome to our life buddy, welcome to our life.”

They got silent again until the radio buzzed a few minutes later. They were reaching a small town ahead and Daichi gave the order to park outside it, then assembling by the first truck to wait for new orders.

“Look, let’s just try to keep our heads in place until we end this mission and the snitchers are gone, alright?” Kuroo told Bokuto when they parked by the side of the road. “You know we’ll all welcome your mate and his friend as one of our pack, we just need to take baby steps right know Bo.”

Bokuto sighed. “I know Kuroo. I just wish I could do better for my mate right now.”

Kuroo put his arm around Bokuto’s shoulder to tug him closer. “You and I Bo, you and I.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 9th - 5:20 pm

“How you’re doing?”

Yahaba looked to the truck’s back opening to see the silver haired omega smiling at him while holding a bowl of soup. “Same as before.” he answered.

Sugawara nodded. “Brought your dinner, hope you’re hungry.” he passed him the bowl.

Yahaba took it in his hands and frowned. “Is it that late already?”

“Actually, it is not.” Sugawara said while jumping inside the truck and sitting by Yahaba’s side. “Today is the first day on the road, so you’ll still get used to it. When we’re on missions on the road, we try to eat early so we can be ready for anything the squad needs. Today is calmer because we’re outside a town, so most alphas will probably eat in there since we’re still in peaceful areas.”

“Huh” Yahaba mumbled. “So you guys stay in the open road while the idiots have fun so that they can be served properly when they come back.” he took the spoon to start eating. “Seems nice.”

Sugawara sighed. “Please, don’t speak like that, especially not in front of others. I know it is not easy and even quite unfair, but we all have to follow a protocol right now, it’ll be better once we settle ourselves in Fukuoka, I promise.”

“We’re not settling anywhere, thank you very much.” Yahaba deadpanned and looked back at Keiji, still sleeping peaceful in front of him. He had not woken up at all through the whole drive, even when Yahaba tried to wake him up for lunch, so the alpha doctor came to look at him again and brought another IV to keep the omega hydrated.

“Look, you need to stop thinking like that.” Sugawara told him slowly. “You and Keiji won’t be able to run away like you want to, where would you go?”

“Any place is better than this.” Yahaba said.

“Are you sure about that?” Sugawara raise an eyebrow. “Because I pretty much can list you a bunch of places you do not want to go, and this would be mostly nearby.”

Yahaba dropped the spoon inside the now empty bowl and looked angrily at Sugawara. The omega did not move away, not fazed by the angry display.

“How can you expect us to just follow around peacefully? They went to our sector and kidnapped us. They are forcing us to stay and will force us to mate. How can an omega like you be good with all that?!” Yahaba said lowly and furious.

Sugawara sighed. “I’m not ‘good’ with any of this. I am just trying to help you both the best I can. We don’t want to force you to anything, but there are rules here that we all have to obey.”

“We didn’t agree to this, we don’t need to follow your rules!” Yahaba said.

“And you think anyone here did?” Sugawara asked after a small silence. “Do you really think all the omegas in here agreed to mate the sentinels and be their servants and guides? No one here actually had another option on that matter.”

Yahaba widened his eyes a little. “So why you’re a part of the squad? Why don’t you leave?”

“And go where exactly?” Sugawara asked kindly.

“Away. I don’t know, just go somewhere they can’t find you.”

“Huh, maybe we could. But even if they don’t find us, others will, and that could be worse.”

Yahaba looked at the omega in silence, Sugawara seemed thoughtful for a moment before continuing.

“You see, I don’t know how much you understand about this whole Sentinel ordeal.” Sugawara told him. “But I don’t believe you have all the facts right now.”

“Well, I know that they consider omegas as their servants to take along as much as they like, if that’s what you mean.” Yahaba scoffed.

Sugawara chuckled. “Well, you can definitely say that about lots of them,” he paused for a few seconds before continuing, “but no, that’s not entirely what I meant.”

Yahaba waited for the silver haired omega to continue, he looked at Keiji to see the other still fast asleep.

“I was born in the omega breeding center back in Tokyo’s Sector B, just like many others here.” Sugawara said. “I was born from a mother I inherited the name from, and a father I never knew. I lived in the center’s nursery until the age of five just to be sent to the school with the others my age, and there I stood until presenting during my teen years and put on the omegas' special training program.”

“Special training program?” Yahaba raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, that’s what it is called anyway.” Sugawara said. “When children reach five years old they are moved to the school. We are known by our mother’s last name until we present, and if we are omegas it stays with us so that people knows our heritage. When kids present alpha, they change the last name to their father’s, which is only revealed in this situation.”

“The hell! What’s that for?!” Yahaba said confused.

“It’s how the system works.” Suga said lowly, looking around and searching for presences to make sure no one would listen. “You need to understand that the military need strong alphas to keep the society running the way it does. The omegas in the breeding center are classified according to their ability to give birth to alphas, so the system knows who the next to have a child is. If they need alphas they go for a group, if they need omegas they go for the other.”

“So it's just that? The omegas in there are tools and toys for them to maneuver?” Yahaba asked furiously.

“Pretty much that, yeah.” Suga sighed. “And not all omegas in the school ends up becoming an empath worth of a sentinel, so when the level 1 omegas are tossed back in the breeding center again, they go with their mother’s name. The more similar names in the center, bigger are the chances that the name will give birth to more omegas.”

“So if an omega inside the center has a not so common name… it means that they probably gave birth to alphas?” Yahaba asked.

“Exactly.” Sugawara smiled sadly.

“That is too fucked up.” Yahaba sighed.

“Yes it is, but it is the way they know who they want to bear more children.” Sugawara said.

“So your mother’s name is Sugawara?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then why that alpha doctor called you by ‘omega Sawamura’?”

“That’s how we’re identified after mating a sentinel.” Sugawara explained. “Sawamura is my mate’s name. When we met at the school years ago, he had another one, but since he presented alpha they changed it, and since we mated I am also called by it.”

“But your name’s still Sugawara?” Yahaba asked confused.

“My name will always be Sugawara.” he sighed. “Mating doesn’t change that, only marriage would.”

“And you won’t marry?”

Sugawara looked outside the truck’s opening to the early evening sky. “I would love to.” he said “But I still don’t know if it will be possible. Not so many sentinels choose to marry their guides after retiring from the field these days, and even if Daichi wants it, we could end up gathering more attention than we’re comfortable with.”

“Why not? Surely the least you guys deserve after walking around serving them is retiring when the time comes.” Yahaba said. “Or better, take off somewhere and never serve anyone else again!” he finished.

Sugawara chuckled. “Oh, we guides will follow the sentinels wherever they go. It is not because they retire that they will live a quiet life. Our mind shield will still be necessary, so we’ll stay with them.” he sighed with a smile. “And I would never leave Daichi, not for anything out there. I do love him.”

Yahaba looked troubled at the confession, thinking for a moment before continuing. “And he still won’t marry you? Even if you love him?”

“Daichi would marry me the first moment he retires, he said it already.” Sugawara chuckled again. “But I fear for the responsibilities after that. Retired sentinels also have jobs to do, and one of those is to have children, alpha children to be exactly.”

“And you don’t want that?”

“It is the only thing I want since we mated.” he smiled. “But it is also known that the years in service at a sentinel squad tends to lower our chances of pregnancy in the long run, it’s because of the uninterrupted use of suppressants apparently.”

“So that shit is bad after all!” Yahaba said angrily. “I knew we shouldn't have taken it!”

“You just took one, it shouldn’t cause harm with just that.” Sugawara tried to reassure him. “Besides, it generally takes 20 to 30 years of service for a sentinel to retire, the use of suppressants for that long is what can make real harm.”

“Well, one was enough for Keiji.” Yahaba crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I guess it was.” Sugawara looked at the sleeping omega. “Let’s just hope his body can get used to it, maybe with smaller doses in longer gaps between.”

“You still think that we’ll want to stay?” Yahaba raised an eyebrow. “Because your story was not so much reassuring.”

Sugawara chuckled. “I guess it wasn’t, right? But the thing is, I’m telling you all this to make sure you understand that there’s worse paths.”

“How so?”

“If you get caught after running from the squad they could throw you in the breeding center to be another omega to bear children for the sentinel system. You would nurse your babies for a while just to lose them to the school. Then another alpha would come for more and more. It is a lonely and tiring life, and if you survive long enough to reach your old days, they will throw you in Sector C. Which I know now it is not exactly a retiring spa.” Sugawara stopped before finishing his thought. “Or they’ll kill you for deserting.”

“The last one doesn't sound so bad.” Yahaba scoffed.

“You don’t mean that.” Sugawara said tiredly.

It was Yahaba’s turn to chuckle. “No I don’t. I will not give up so easily, and they won’t get us. I won’t let them get Keiji.”

Sugawara hummed. “I like the way you two care for each other.”

“Keiji is basically half of my family.” Yahaba sighed looking at the omega. “He and our friend saved me when my parents threw me in that sector, fed me when no one else would, gave me a place to sleep at night. I’ll protect them with my life if it comes to it.”

Sugawara smiled. “See, you guys are not so different from our close pack, after all.”

The omegas got quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of the coming night.

“What will happen to you if you can’t have children in the future?” Yahaba asked after a while.

“We won’t be granted permission to marry in that case.” Sugawara said sadly. “And Daichi will have to get another omega for that. He can either get one from the breeding center to live with, or just go there and get someone pregnant to keep the system running.”

Yahaba made a disgusted face and looked away. “But, what about you?”

“I would stay as his guide for as long as his tasks depends on me. Then Sector C would also be my ending place.”

“And your so beloved alpha would just agree with that?”

“Well, it is the law.” Sugawara said.

“But would he?” Yahaba insisted. “If he is so different from other alphas, other sentinels, would he agree to let you go like that?!”

For Yahaba’s surprise, Sugawara laughed. “Why do you think I know so much about the possible outcomes of running away? You are not the only ones wanting to take a different path.”

“So why don’t you two run?” Yahaba asked after a moment.

“It is more than that. It’s not just us both, we have a pack now, and things are more complicated than that.” Sugawara answered.

“But will you run away? When the time comes?”

“Maybe, if there is a chance.” Sugawara said and then shook his head. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. It is martial law for sure.”

“Well, thank you for trusting that much, I guess.” Yahaba smiled sarcastically.

“You’re welcome, I guess.” Sugawara gave the same smile before they both chuckled together. He stood up and exited the truck.

“Well, I have things to do. You should try to rest, things are about to heat up in this road trip, and I know that you did not sleep at all last night. Also, keep our talk in mind for now, and please don’t do anything stupid.” Sugawara said.

“Can’t promise you that.” Yahaba said. “And Sugawara... thank you. For the trust and, for the food. It is more than many people ever did for us. Truly.” 

Sugawara smiled again, wider this time. “Well, I did say we were different than most, didn’t I? Oh, and please, call me Suga.” the omega finished before leaving.

“Yeah,” Yahaba whispered after the other left. He looked at Keiji’s peaceful face. “Thank you Suga.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness. All around. How many times it happened now? He does not know.

However, this time feels somehow different. The darkness that usually fill his dreams is oppressive and heavy, trapping his body and stealing the air from his lungs. This one is lighter, but not at all less deep, it is just that now he feels like floating in deep dark water, ready to open his eyes but still too weak to do it.

Time means nothing for a while, but at some point, he begins to feel different things in his jelly mind. Sometimes it's engine noises in the distance, others are whispered talks in the background. He does not try to follow any of it, since he is too tired to even try, and sleep always come back to take him to the whole darkness again. More than once, he saw sparkles of fading lights in the distance, most gold than anything, but he also saw silver and teal, like little fireflies flying around from time to time.

Some light feelings began to come to him as well. First some rocking and moving, then a hard surface against him back, something soft under his head. Now it was something like a touch, was it at his shoulder? His mind started to try making sense of things and now he was sure he was feeling a hand touching his shoulder. It was light and slow, but it somehow felt like a call.

“Keiji?” Oh, there was a small voice together now, far but still clear. It sounded worried and he did not like it that way. He wanted to answer somehow, but how would he do it?

“Keiji, hey, can you hear me?” the voice got closer, louder, but still felt like a whisper. He tried to open his mouth to answer, but only a light grumble came out of his sore throat.

“Hey, it’s alright, don’t try to talk, just take it easy.” the voice sounded reassuring, he knew that voice. “Can you look at me? Are you fully awake?”

He tried. He wanted to open his eyes at once, but it was somehow too difficult, too heavy. He mumbled something and the voice continued to whisper things to him, the feeling of a damp cloth touching his forehead and lightly brushing on top of his eyes. It took a while more before he was able to open them, but when he did, everything was still dark.

But not drenched in darkness anymore. The first thing he noticed was the din moonlight, silver and white like he remembered. There were shadows too, outlining the place he was in, his mind understood it as the back of a vehicle, also explaining the hard surface he was lying at.

“Keiji?” the voice called again and he looked to his left side, eyes still cloudy and trying to regain focus at things. The hand touched his shoulder again and he felt safe and happy that he was not alone anymore.

“Yahaba-san?” Keiji mumbled slowly, his tongue tasting weird inside his mouth.

“Oh God, oh god, you’re awake!” Yahaba launched forward and hugged Keiji tidily, burying his face in the other’s neck. “Thank you, thank you!”

Keiji was about to ask what was happening when he felt his friend’s tears wetting his shirt, reason began to fill his head again and he realized that Yahaba was probably scared out of his mind for a while. Yahaba was not the crying type, none of them really was. The last time he saw the other cry so much was when he was first abandoned in Sector C, filled with fear and distrust, but then life settled and through the years all tears were more simple and contained, most from frustration and rage.

However, these silent cries now were from both fear and relief. Yahaba clinged to him and sobbed for a while, he did not hurt him nor choked him with his weight, but kept the hug until the pain in his heart eased enough to let him speak again. Keiji was still feeling a bit numb, so he used this time to concentrate on his surrounding, getting his mind to wake up from the previous darkness while he petted Yahaba’s hair with one hand.

“God, I’m sorry.” Yahaba said when he finally eased the hug and sat up again, cleaning his nose and eyes with his sleeves. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m so happy you're awake right now!”

“What happened?” Keiji asked while trying to sit up, dizziness filling his head in an instant.

“Hey, ease up! Slow down now, it is best if you stay down.” Yahaba said in fear.

“I’m alright, I just… I need to sit up for a bit.” Keiji said with a hand in his head to try stopping the dizzy feeling.

Yahaba mumbled something that Keiji did not quite understood but he ignored it anyway. His friend helped him sit and lay onto the side of the truck, he closed his eyes for a moment, his mind beginning to clear again when he sighed in relief. He opened his eyes and looked to Yahaba’s concerned eyes in front of him.

“Are you alright?” Yahaba asked him in a whisper.

“Better now, thank you Yahaba-san.” Keiji answered.

“Better be, you asshole, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Yahaba said without bite.

“I’m sorry, I’ll try to not to fall ill again to save your bleeding heart.” Keiji said sarcastically.

“If Yaku was here he would slap your head so hard right now.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

They looked at each other before chuckling together. Keiji could feel Yahaba’s relief oozing out and offered a simple small smile to his friend.

“Seriously though, sorry for worrying you, and thank you for taking care of me.” he said before looking around the truck they were inside. “Where are we?”

“No need, I’m happy you’re better.” Yahaba sighed and looked to the night sky. “And we’re still here. With the sentinels, I mean.”

“I figured, but where is here? And what time is it?” Keiji asked while looking at the darkness of shadows outside.

“Moon is high up in the sky, so it’s pretty late in the night. Or too early in the morning, take your pick.” Yahaba shrugged, eyes heaving up to show Keiji how tired his friend seemed to be.

“How long was I out?” he asked slowly.

“More than 24 hours. You should be hungry, by the way.” Yahaba said while retrieving a small package from under the blanket he was wrapped in.

Keiji took it from his hand and opened to see a bread with some jelly, his stomach awoke at the spot and Yahaba chuckled at the sudden sound. Keiji’s cheek got pink but he chose to not say a word, biting the bread and closing his eyes in delight. He was hungry, really hungry, and the fruity flavor was a very much welcome surprise.

“I hope it’s still good. It is from the afternoon snack, they have that here, can you believe these guys?”

“It is heaven, thank you.” Keiji said before taking another bite. “Was it yours? Did you save it for me?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Yahaba said while waving his hands in the air as a dismissal. “I ate the apple that came with it and drank the tea, besides, I had breakfast, lunch and dinner. I thought you might be hungry when you finally wake up, so I’ve been saving things for you.”

“Thank you, Yahaba-san, I really am better after this.” Keiji said after swallowing the rest of the bread.

“My pleasure.” Yahaba spoke before yawning.

Keiji saw sleeping coming for his friend faster than anything else, not needing to be a rocket scientist to realize that Yahaba might have stayed awake all the time to watch over him. He smiled in gratitude and said in a low voice.

“Get some rest Shigeru, I’ll be fine for now.”

“Huh,” Yahaba murmured half asleep. “Its fine… can’t let Keiji out of my sight.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine for a couple of hours.” Keiji smiled when his friend did not reply again, soft snores coming from him in a deep sense of peace.

“I’m sure everything will turn out fine for now.” Keiji whispered again while looking at the night sky.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

A deep feeling of relief rocked Bokuto out of his sleep. He was not startled neither scared, he was not sweating or recovering from a nightmare. He just felt such relief that it was impossible to sleep through it. Maybe it was a good dream he was having earlier, even if he could not remember it.

However, the feeling remained and he would not go back to sleep now. He looked at the time in the truck’s cabin radio and realized it was just 2:30 in the morning. He looked to his left when soft snores got to his ears.

Kuroo had laid his seat back just like his own and was lying down with Kenma, spooning him from behind and face buried in the omega’s hair, a thick blanket covering them both. Bokuto was sure that his friend went to sleep alone last night, so he blamed the sleeping pills Asahi gave him for not hearing when Kenma showed up.

_Damn cats and those light feather-like steps._

Bokuto smiled at his friends and slowly opened his door to get outside, feeling the night’s fresh air wash over his chest and face. He sighed happily, still with no clue about why he was feeling so good right now, so he decided to walk down the squad’s campsite, basking in the silver moonlight. He only stopped when he approached the omegas' truck in the end, feeling nervous out of nowhere and taking small steps towards the truck.

The alpha took a deep breath before looking inside, ready to see the sleeping raven omega and planning to ask Yahaba if he could keep him company for a while. However, when he looked inside he froze up instantly, his heart doing all kinds of jumps and leaps while beating the hell out of his chest.

Keiji was awake. He was seated up, back against the side of their truck, head turned a little up with closed eyes. His breathing was light and steady, no signs of distress nor pain. Across from him was Yahaba, wrapped in a blanket and snoring calmly in a much-needed sleep.

Bokuto was considering to turn around and go back to his truck before he could disturb such a scene, but when the thought crossed his mind, Keiji’s eyes opened and turned to him, deep blue orbs showering him with sparkles of moonlight.

He was so doomed.

“Huh… Hi!” Bokuto squeaked. “Eh, how’re you feeling? Do you want something? Do you remember me-”

Bokuto’s babbling was cut off when Yahaba mumbled something and stirred in his sleep. Keiji, who was watching the alpha with wide eyes, turned to see his friend move, sighing in relief when the other only adjusted his position and returned to dreamland, snoring loudly once more.

“Please,” Keiji whispered, looking back at the alpha, “please, keep it down for now. He needs sleep more than imagined right now.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Bokuto whispered back, scratching his head in shame. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. It just took me by surprise to see you up and all.”

“It’s alright, I am better now, thank you.” Keiji said politely.

“Good, that’s, that’s good. I’m happy you are.” Bokuto said back.

They both fell in a small awkward silence, Bokuto looking up to the night sky while trying to gather any courage he could muster, and Keiji just stared forward, counting his friend’s breaths to try soothing the strange pounding in his chest.

“May I… I mean… would it be ok if I keep you company for now?” Bokuto whispered uncertainly. “I mean. I kept him company last night so, if you’re lonely now I, I could do you too.” then his face burned with embarrassment. “Company I mean! I could do you some company! Keep you company! That is!” he finished in a kind of shout-whispering way.

His enhanced hearing peaked up a chuckle somewhere behind him, he looked back to see many omegas bundled up in their sleeping bags before looking back at Keiji inside the small truck. If his mind wasn't so confused right now, he would have definitely recognize it as Suga’s trademark muffled laugh.

Bokuto saw Keiji looking away from him again while biting his lips in doubt, but before the alpha could retreat his offer, a soft voice came to his ears.

“I… I would like the company. Thank you Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto’s eyes lighted up like Christmas lights. “You remember my name?”

“You… you told me before, didn’t you?” Keiji whispered shyly before gesturing to the spot across from him. “Please, have a seat.”

Bokuto thanked again and entered the vehicle with care to not shock it too much, being as quiet as possible to not wake the snoring omega in the corner.

“So, how’re you feeling?” Bokuto asked in a whisper.

“I’m a little tired, but I believe I’m getting better now, thank you.” Keiji said equally low.

“Oh shit, do you want to go back to sleep? I’m sorry to keep you awake! I can go if you want me to!” Bokuto panicked, already starting to get up again when Keiji raised a hand in the air to stop him.

“It is fine, Bokuto-san, I think I can use a few minutes awake.” Keiji said. “I do believe I have slept for a while now.”

“For the last whole day and night for sure.” Bokuto chuckled. “I was… we, I mean… we were worried.”

“I… that is kind of you. I’m… sorry for the trouble.” Keiji answered slowly.

“Heh, that is something you don’t need to be sorry to me about.” Bokuto said. “I got you into this mess, I should be apologizing for all that happened.”

Keiji bit his lips again while thinking about that. It was true in a way, since the alpha was the one to find him during the Hunt, but somewhere in his mind a voice told him that Bokuto was really sorry for all the recent outcomes.

They remained in silence again, doing nothing but watching the moving shadows basket in the moonlight when the wind peaked up a little. In time, their minds and beating hearts eased back to normal, and they enjoyed the silent company at the moment.

“You know,” Bokuto started saying after a while. “Thank you for, for not yelling at me or, or curse at me and stuff. I know you have every right to do it but, thank you for… for not doing it. Right now, at least.”

“I’m… I am not happy, you see. About this entire situation.” Keiji said slowly.

“Yeah, yeah I know!” Bokuto assured. “And you’re not supposed to be! I was just… afraid you would be really mad and yell and stuff, not that I don’t deserve it but, and my friends were worried about it too, but-” he stopped babbling and sighed heavily.

“You see,” Bokuto continued when Keiji stood quiet. “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I don’t want you to think I am a jerk like many other alphas, but… as I told Yahaba last night, I just want to know you better. I wish we could become friends, at least.”

Keiji’s eyes widened a bit. “You told Yahaba-san that? How did he take it?”

“He told he didn’t believe in me and basically told me to stay the hell away from you.” Bokuto said dejected.

“That really does sound like him.” Keiji chuckled. “I… I appreciate the sentiment, if it is true. But I don’t think we can really be friends right now.” he finished slowly.

“Oh.” Bokuto said, shoulders visibly slumping. “Ok, I… I believe you’re right, I… sorry, for getting you in this mess. I really am.” he motioned to stand up but Keiji stopped him suddenly.

“Wait, I…” Keiji said in a hurry, not even realizing what he was doing. He knew he should not get close to the alpha, not to anyone in here if they wanted to have any chance in escaping, but the dejected look in the alpha’s eyes did not feel right in his mind. “I don’t want to be mean to you, it is just… this place is strange for us. There are things here that can hurt us badly and, and make me sick. It is a dangerous place for us.” that was much more than he wanted to say, but things just spilled out of his mouth.

Bokuto seated back down with a frown, he looked back at Keiji with interest. The omega messed with his fingers and took a deep breath, somehow wanting to speak more.

“My friend…” Keiji said slowly after a minute. “Our friend. He was left behind in Sector C when you people brought us to the base. He was left alone in a dangerous situation, and I can only hope that he turned out fine in the end.” he sighed and looked back at Bokuto’s eyes, blue met gold and the alpha could feel how serious the omega was right now. “With that in mind and all the rules and medicine you have here, that shot of suppressants… I cannot just overlook everything just to promise a friendship right now.”

Bokuto nodded slowly, taking everything the omega said before speaking again. “Can I just ask you something?” he waited for the other’s affirmative nod before continuing, “Do you hate me right now? Please be honest.”

Keiji looked at the alpha for a moment, his mind traveled to the possible answers, weighting them and their possible outcomes. Somewhere deep inside his heart he knew the answer, but he was trying to make his mind decide on its own.

“I do not.” he answered quietly. “As weird as it may sound, I do not hate you. But I don’t quite like you either.”

Bokuto smiled. So big and happy with shining eyes that Keiji felt as if he was being striked by a lightning filled with sunshine. The omega’s heart pounded against his chest when the alpha reached to take one of his hands.

“Thank you for that. I know I don’t deserve it but, thank you.” Bokuto said while holding the omega’s skinny fingers. He looked seriously at the other before continuing. “And listen to me now. It doesn’t matter what becomes of us in the future, friends or not, and even if you grow to hate me later, I am promising you now that I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. For as long as you are here with the squad, for as long as you remain with us, no one will touch you again in ways you don’t want, no one will force any chemicals to make you sick again, no one will hurt you. I can promise you that.

Keiji took a deep breath, trying to not be overwhelmed by the alpha’s serious and shining eyes. “But… but they told me about some rules…”

“They can rule it up over my dead body if they want to.” Bokuto said sternly. “I mean it, I’ll make sure you are safe here. I’ll even get you out of here myself if I see it is too dangerous for you.” he sighed in a more calmly way. “I am sorry I cannot quite help your friend that was left behind, I’m really sorry about that. I hope he is alright and I will try to get some kind of news about him. But I cannot promise you that. All I can promise you is that you’ll be safe while I’m here.”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.” Keiji whispered after a moment. “That really means a lot coming from you.”

Bokuto smiled shyly. “Anything for you Keiji, thank you for not hating me. It is all I want from you.”

Bokuto let go of the Keiji’s hand and stood up, jumping out of the truck before looking back at the other. Keiji was looking at him, a lighter look in his eyes.

“I’ll let you rest now, good night Keiji.” Bokuto said and started to walk away.

When he was a little far from the truck, Bokuto thanked all heavens for his enhanced hearing, and with a bright smile he looked up at the moon while rejoicing the tiny _‘Good night, Bokuto-san.’_ he had heard in the distance.

____________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey, Hey! How are you today?
> 
> See? We have a cute ending! How did you like it?  
> Sorry for the wait tho, this morning was busier than usual, but I hope the chapter made up for it!
> 
> This one is specially for Pomx2 who was asking for the YakuLev meeting and for Che Che Cheer that wanted to know about the Prison Break plan! Thank you for all your support this far! Also, thank you for everyone that leave comments! I really love them, they keep me happy and motivated!
> 
> AND...We have a Fanart!!! YAY!  
> My sister [TH_LuckyStar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TH_LuckyStar) made [this!](https://nicky-th.tumblr.com/post/632967180522307584/hey-hey-hey-to-everyone-whos-following-my) Go see it!
> 
> Thank you for the almost 1500 hits! Stay safe and have a nice week!


	10. Brainless Giants with Stupid Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He is adorable, isn’t he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, welcome back!
> 
> Here goes a little chapter to wrap things up so we can have some action next week! Enjoy!

November 11th - 9:00 am

Logically it was not true, but Keiji’s body felt like they were driving for forever. They were woken up pretty early in the morning for a quick breakfast and then the whole squad was hitting the road at the break of dawn, some omegas looking even more tired than the night before, and some even managing to sleep inside the moving truck.

Keiji was jealous of those, he wish he could be asleep too, just to make time run faster. Except that this kind of thinking was not fair, since he knows he spent the first day and night of travel sleeping like the dead, which only made his friend extremely worried. So no, he was good now, good and awake, that is.

“Geez…” Yahaba grunted by his side when the truck jumped harshly by a particular big bump in the road. “Can’t they ease the gas a little? Why all the rush today?” 

“We are a little behind schedule today, so not much to do about that.” Sugawara said, seated across from them with Kozume by his side. “Squad needs to reach a particular town by noon, so we have to run.”

“So why hadn’t we got there before? We camped for a whole day and night, couldn’t they plan it better?” Yahaba said and a few omegas looked toward him with funny looks.

“Well, we didn’t got the orders to be there until today.” Sugawara said.

“What do you mean by that?” Keiji asked curiously. “We thought the squad was going to a base.”

“And we are, but commander's office back in Tokyo sends us orders about the roads to take and the time to move.” Sugawara explained. “Basically, we have a final destination, the Sentinel Base in Fukuoka. However, we are not going straight there. The squad moves according to small tasks, places they need us to stop and such, and whenever a nearby town requires attention, an order is sent to lead us there.”

“So we are moving according to the wishes of a Tokyo person who believes we are pieces of a board game?”

“Welcome to the ‘Road Mission’.” Sugawara laughed and Kozume sighed by his side.

The truck jerked hard and some omegas fell on top of each other, all of them grunting in pain before adjusting to their spots again.

“I hate these missions.” Kozume mumbled quietly but Keiji could still hear him, but since no one answered, not that it was a real question, he began to think if he had not imagined it.

“Do we have a timeline to get to the base?” Keiji asked if just to ignore the previous feeling.

“Sure we do!” Sugawara smiled. “Christmas.”

The omegas’ eyes widened. “Christmas? December 25th?” Yahaba asked in disbelief.

“Yep, that’s the one.” Sugawara said.

“But it’s still november!” Yahaba cried, getting angry. “Do they expect us to move around like this for more than a month!?”

“God, I hope not!” Sugawara said while holding himself when he almost fell onto Kozume. “The better the squad deals with the tasks, the faster we get there. If there is not missions to accomplish, there is no reason to keep us moving. Christmas is just the deadline to reach the base, since the squad in there has to get to Tokyo by New Year.”

Keiji nodded and fell silent while Yahaba cursed a bit more by his side. It has been almost two days since he woke up from his little coma episode, and since then the omegas were trying to gather as much information as they could. Yahaba said one night that they needed to make a good escape plan, no flaws or loopholes allowed, and for that, they needed intel.

Doctor Asahi had come to see Keiji in the mornings and Bokuto always showed up at the occasions, always watching to make sure no one was itching for a syringe. Keiji was thankful that the alpha was not just keeping this side of his promise, but also being respectful and not trying to force a relationship of any kind.

The alpha doctor told him that whatever had poisoned him before was mostly out of his system by now, and the last 24 hours with no fever were a good indication of such. So Keiji was officially better, which meant he was going to be a part of the daily omegas' duties really soon. Yahaba had already be given some tasks the day before, fact that brought lots of grumblings and bad moods to the omega.

Now here they are, speeding through Japan’s inner roads until God knows when. The omega party fell silent for a while, some still asleep, lucky bastards, others lost in their own head or watching the outside landscape to pass the time. The squad reached their destination at 11:10 in the morning, soon deciding to make camp in a small open field circled by a few trees in the distance outside the town’s limits.

“Why can’t we just sleep on a normal bed inside town? I can’t believe there’s no inns here.” Yahaba said while exiting the truck, grumbling and cracking his back.

“Maybe because this isn’t a field trip.” came a harsh response from behind them. A skinny omega with brown hair that Keiji could not remember hearing the name, the guy looking at them with a pissed look. “Well, at least for some of us it isn’t, can’t say the same for others that are getting free food without working.”

Keiji scowled with a frown and Yahaba took a step toward the omega. “Hey dude, the hell is your problem?”

The omega was not intimidated, facing Yahaba in the eyes. “My problem is you and your special treatment, even after a failed escape attempt.”

“If you consider being put on a coma a special treatment, I sure can get you one!” Yahaba bit back and Keiji’s hand grabbed onto the back of his shirt.

Keiji knew this kind of confrontation was bound to happen anytime soon. Since he woke up, he noticed several omegas giving him weird looks while he rested inside the truck during the day. He could sense their distaste near him and Yahaba, and the only time the others kept distance was whenever Sugawara or Bokuto were around. But now neither were there, since the omega went to talk to the squad’s captain to assert their orders, and the alpha was nowhere in sight. Keiji did not like meaningless fights, but apparently, it was up to him to deal with this one.

“Yahaba-san, there’s no point in this.” Keiji said calmly to his friend, a bunch of the other omegas starting to gather around them. “Let’s just ignore it and wait for Sugawara-san to return with our tasks.”

“Funny how you act so much better than us.” the guy said, taking his eyes from Yahaba to look at Keiji. “Go and wait for Sugawara-san to spare you from work while everyone else in here needs to give blood and sweat for the cause.” he finished pointing a finger to Keiji.

Yahaba batted his hand away from them with a hard slap. “Why the hell are you blaming your life problems on us? We didn’t make the system you so easily call ‘the cause’!”

“Yahaba-san, come on!” Keiji said and pulled Yahaba’s shirt again to get them out of there. “This is not worth it.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Yahaba said with clenched teeth while looking the other omega up and down, angry eyes still shining. “Not worth it.” He turned his back and took a step away to follow Keiji.

Keiji felt the omega’s anger sky rock, and the mocking tone in his voice was enough to throw everything to dust. “Oh yeah, at least I worth more than a couple of freaks from the slut sector!” the guy said loudly.

And hell broke loose.

Yahaba turned around in rage, fist already in place and moving back fast to collide with the omega’s jaw. The guy spat blood when his head turned to the side and his body fell heavy onto the ground. Keiji was about to shout for his friend when two bodies came colliding against them, throwing both to the ground.

Keiji covered his head and face with his arms as a blond omega started throwing punches, and to his surprise he noticed that the impacts were way lighter than he had felt before when growing up in the streets of sector C. He turned his body to get the omega off balance and kicked the other off him, standing to his feet to help his friend.

Yahaba was rolling on the ground with another omega, managing to get the upper hand and punching the guy in the face. The first brown haired omega had stood up and went running toward Yahaba, but Keiji went for him to crash against his side and sent him back to the ground. Keiji did not fall along, since the guy was surprised by him, so he ran for his friend and dragged him away from the one bleeding under him.

“Yahaba-san, calm down! This will only make things worse!” Keiji said while dragging Yahaba away. 

“I’m killing these bastards if they think they can look down on us like that!” Yahaba cursed.

“And what good will it make?!” Keiji snapped at him.

“Oh, shoot! Seems like your omega lost the fight dude.” came a new voice from the side.

“Heh, good thing I didn’t bet on him, right?” another voice responded with a chuckle.

Keiji and Yahaba noticed two sentinels had approached, both wearing grins as if the situation was funny or something. The omegas that were fighting them earlier stood up to their feet and bowed to them, keeping the position in silence, others doing the same around them. Yahaba glared openly at the alphas while Keiji scowled by his side.

“How- how can I be of assistance, alpha?” the first male omega spoke quietly, not raising his head while drops of his own blood rolled out his nose to fall on the ground.

One of the alphas, a tall blond male with a dangerous glint in his eyes, walked to the omega and grabbed the other’s chin, raising his face up to analyze the bruising in his mate’s face.

“Well, apparently with nothing, you useless thing, since you cannot even win your own battles.” the alpha said while looking with a smile. He harshly let go of the omega’s face and walked toward Keiji and Yahaba. “But I’m glad we stopped by, it was a bit of entertainment in this stupid mission.” his alpha friend laughed at that and also approached them.

“These new ones are a little feisty aren’t they?” the second alpha, red haired one, said with a smirk.

“Yes they are, but that’s nothing that can’t be trained.” the blond one responded, a hand already moving to grab at Yahaba’s chin. The brunette omega slapped the hand away with anger and snarled at the alpha.

“Don’t you dare touch me, asshole.” Yahaba said without wavering his gaze from the alpha’s eyes.

A deafening silence took place and Keiji saw the two alphas scowling darkly at them, anger rising up in a second. He became over aware of the threat they were imposing, and also the omegas around them, most looking terrified about the sudden outcome.

“Did you just slap me, omega?” the alpha asked with a furious look, which only grew darker when Yahaba smirked at him. “Answer me, omega!” he snarled.

“Well, if you don’t recognize a slap when you get one, guess I’m not the one in need of training.” Yahaba said with venom.

Yahaba was still looking at the alpha’s eyes when Keiji saw that the red haired one had approached them by the side and was about to struck Yahaba with a punch to the stomach. He quickly pulled his friend backward toward himself and the punch was lost in the empty space. Yahaba lost his balance but Keiji stood him half up in front of him, now himself looking at the blond alpha in the eyes.

“Don’t you dare touch us!” Keiji growled, fangs half-visible inside his mouth.

“Who do you think you are to growl at me? Omega!” the blond alpha spit the last word as an insult.

Keiji and Yahaba growled threatening, fangs now in full display, but before they did anything else, a small voice spoke inside Keiji’s head.

_“Don’t! Help is on the way!”_

Keiji did not look away from the alphas, but he could feel Kozume’s presence behind him. He had not noticed the omega there before, but he also did not think the other had just arrived there.

“I’ll show you how to respect an alpha!” the blond alpha said, fist already in motion to punch Keiji in the face. The movement was so fast that the omega knew he would not dodge in time, so he automatically closed his eyes to wait for the impact.

That never came.

Keiji opened his eyes to see a hand holding the alpha’s wrist, inches away from his face. A thick arm and massive body were attached to the hand that did not even shivered while the blond alpha tried to release his own arm.

“I hope you were not about to do what I think you were about to do.” Bokuto said slowly, anger filling every word and golden eyes fixed on the alpha whose wrist he was now squeezing painfully.

“The hell! Let go of me!” the alpha snarled.

“With pleasure.” Bokuto said and threw the arm he was holding to the side to unbalance the alpha. The guy inched to the side just to be in the perfect position for Bokuto’s punch that was already in motion, hitting him square in the face and sending him to the ground with definitely a broken nose and a splited lip.

Sounds of gasps were heard all around as the red haired alpha charged toward Bokuto, just to be stopped by a very well placed kick on the ribs, strong enough to send him flying a little away from the group.

“Well, well. Guess we got here in time, after all.” Keiji heard the new voice from the black haired alpha that just surprise-kicked the red haired one. “See Bo, everything is under control.”

“Kuro.” Keiji heard Kozume sigh behind him in annoyance and relief all together. “Took you guys long enough.” he added quietly.

“Sorry Kitten,” the new alpha chuckled, “we were all up front talking to Daichi. Hope you weren’t too frightened.”

Keiji saw Kozume shrugging his shoulder in dismissal. He then looked back at Bokuto who was still glaring at the alpha on the ground, hands in fists like deciding if he should punch the other a little more.

“What the hell is happening here?” a new commanding voice sounded loudly and everyone looked to the newcomer. Captain Sawamura marched to them with a pissed off look, Sugawara right behind him with a concerned expression.

“Nothing that we couldn’t handle Captain.” the black haired alpha said with a smirk. “Just two assholes that think they can punch omegas before lunch.”

Captain Sawamura scowled and looked around the group, eyes locking on Bokuto’s stilled form while the alpha kept glaring at the one on the ground, sighing before speaking. “Sentinels Nakamura and Kojo, go bleed somewhere else. Asahi is up front the convoy, so go to him for painkillers or something.”

The alphas in question looked insulted but did not offer a remark to the squad's captain. They rose to their feet and started to walk around the group, the red haired one limping painfully while holding his side, but before they took two steps away, Bokuto snapped the blond one by the front of his uniform and brought him to his face.

“Now you listen to me you bag of shit!” Bokuto growled at the man’s face. “If you ever, EVER, look at Keiji again, if you touch him, or speak or even look in his direction, I will kill you. The same goes for Yahaba, or Kenma, or Suga, or any other omega around here. If I see your mate hurt or in pain later, I will beat your level three ass in such a way that you will beg for a shot in the head. Have I made myself clear?”

Keiji saw the blond alpha’s eyes bug out of his face when the man gulped slightly. Bokuto released the alpha harshly toward the other’s friend and they both went away as fast as they could. Captain Sawamura sighed again and asked them all to behave as best as they could before walking away somewhere, but Keiji did not miss the small smile he shared with Sugawara on his way out.

“Are you alright Keiji?” Bokuto asked him with concerned eyes, smiling brightly as he nodded.

“Yes, I am. Thank you Bokuto-san.” Keiji said.

“Great! How about you, Yahaba?” Bokuto smiled at the other.

“I could have handled it.” Yahaba murmured by his side and Keiji frowned at him. “But thank you Bokuto, I guess.”

“Sure thing, no problem!” Bokuto smiled at them. “Oh, let me introduce you guys! This is my best Bro Kuroo! Kenma’s mate!” he pointed to the black haired alpha behind them.

“Well, finally some civility!” the man said while reaching out for a handshake. “Kuroo Tetsurou, level 4 sentinel and Bo and Kenma’s babysitter. Nice to officially meet the famous Keiji that stole my Bro’s heart!” he finished with a smirk.

“Shu- shut up Kuroo! Don’t be weird!” Bokuto mumbled with a bright blush on his face.

Keiji fought back the small smile that wanted to appear in his face and slowly accepted the handshake. “Pleasure to meet you.” he said in a neutral voice.

“Ouch, so polite.” Kuroo said. “Give it up Bo, it is too much sand for your little truck.”

Bokuto squawked dramatically and Kenma sighed in defeat. “Shut up Kuro, you guys are embarrassing yourselves.”

“Own Kitten, you are the one easily embarrassed.” Kuroo said while turning to his mate and pinching his cheek, earning a hard hand slap.

“Well I am sorry for crashing the children party,” came Sugawara’s teasing voice when the omega approached them, “but we have a camp to set up and food to make, and I don’t want to feed the gossip with any more nonsense.” he looked at the two alphas, “And I do believe that Daichi wanted you guys to help set the perimeter before the first group goes inside town.”

“Oh yeah, Trash King will be pissed because we ran away while he was starting his part, he’s going to shoot us at sight.” Kuroo snickered and saluted them all before turning to walk away. “Come on Bo, death awaits!”

“Going!” Bokuto shouted before turning to Keiji again. “I gotta go now, but you can call me if you need anything!”

“Oh, thank you, you don’t need to worry about me.” Keiji said, cheeks warm somehow.

“Course I do!” Bokuto smiled at him with bright eyes. “You too Yahaba, just shout a call!” he then turned around and ran after his alpha friend.

“I can take care of myself, stupid owl.” Yahaba mumbled after the alpha’s departure.

“Well, let’s get down to business.” Sugawara clapped his hands together. “Yahaba, you come with me to start food. Kenma, can you take Keiji to set the tents for trucks one till four?”

“Sure.” the small omega said, “Daichi, Hajime and Kuro. Who’s truck number three?”

“Saeko and Shimizu.” Sugawara responded. Kenma nodded and started to walk away, but he stopped when Yahaba spoke again.

“Wait a minute! Keiji’s not going without me!” he said.

“Look,” Sugawara sighed, “people are already talking bullshit about you guys, so I have to get you along with the squad’s routine as soon as possible. Kenma will take care of Keiji, and I got them these particular trucks because that’s our people there, no one will mess with them.”

“Still-” Yahaba started but Keiji cut him.

“It is alright Yahaba-san, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later.” Keiji said while looking at his friend’s eyes, an easy promise inside them.

Yahaba murmured a ton of curses and nodded before walking away with Sugawara. Keiji turned to Kozume and followed him. They walked in silence by the side of the road, passing a bunch of trucks and sentinels, giving Keiji the impression that this was a really big convoy to take care of.

“Try to not look in their eyes,” Kozume mumbled. “some might not like it, so let’s just move away.”

Keiji nodded and followed, averting everyone walking around and ignoring some catcalls he did not know if it was for him or for his companion. When they reached the first trucks on the line the air was lighter, and the people there were a little more friendly, giving them their ‘good morning’ wishes and such. Kozume nodded to a few of them and stopped before reaching the first truck.

“The larger part of the sentinel’s squad rides on trucks five to nine, there is where Suga concentrates most of the omegas to set the majority of the tents. Here we have only a few of them, since the first four trucks are filled with the supplies, so there’s basically two alphas in the cabin and the back is full of things.” Kozume explains and Keiji tries to take everything in without interrupting. “Daichi is the captain and he rides in the first one. There is a newbie with him there during this mission because he is like a Dad that wants to educate the new generation properly. So we need two tents for them.”

“Alright, so it is two tents for each truck?” Keiji asked.

“Not necessarily.” Kozume answered while walking to the first truck. “Truck two and three are the weapons and ammunition ones, so Hajime and Saeko. Hajime is with Tooru in truck two, so it is just one tent for them, but Saeko snores too much, so Shimizu prefers a separate tent, can’t blame her.” he sighed before continuing. “And truck four is Kuro and Bokuto, so one big tent, because they are brainless giants that likes to take all the space available.”

“So why don’t they sleep in two tents?” Keiji asked while helping Kozume get the tents from the compartment in the trucks.

“Because of the ‘best bro sleeping code in road missions’. It’s ridiculous how they treat anything like a sleepover fest. Sometimes Oikawa mingles in there too.” Kozume said with annoyance.

“Come again?” Keiji asked, confused.

“Told you, brainless giants with stupid ideas. Believe me, they’re harmless. Koutarou still cries every time he has to kill a spider.” Kozume said.

Keiji blinks at that but remains silent. He follows Kozume to the right place for the tents and tries to understand what to do with the one in his hands.

“Do you know how to set it?” Kozume asked after a moment.

“Hum, I… no I don’t. Sorry, Kozume-san.” Keiji said.

Kozume’s nose scrunched up and he took a side of the tent in Keiji’s hand. “Here, I’ll show you with this one and you can practice with the other. Hold these two tips open.” he showed and Keiji moved as instructed, and it did not take long for the first tent to be ready. “See, not so difficult. Did you ever camp before? I mean, before Sector C?” the small omega asked before getting the next one.

“No I-” Keiji spoke slowly. “I was born there. Never even saw a tent before. Or maybe I had, but people would surely use it as blankets.”

Kozume stopped his movements and looked down with a frown. “Sorry I, I didn’t mean to be insensitive. I didn’t know.”

“It is ok Kozume-san,” Keiji said with a small smile. “I am not ashamed of who I am, and while Sector C might be the worst place to grow up in, it’s still my home, my family is there.”

“Oh. I guess I understand that.” Kozume said slowly. “Kuroo is my family, him and this pack, so that’s why I’m here.” he stopped for a moment before continuing, “I hope you find it here too, a family I mean, Bokuto is a great guy.” he stopped for a second, “And those guys, the ones that were messing with you earlier, they won’t be here for long. The squad is full of them now, all waiting for their transfer papers to arrive, but after that they’ll be gone, and it’ll be just our close pack again.”

Keiji thought in silence for a couple of minutes before sighing. “Hum... I believe you. I just cannot promise you anything right now.” Keiji said truthfully, he did not know why, but he trusted Kozume.

“Ok, I think that is alright for now.” the omega said. “Oh, and Keiji… please just, just call me Kenma.”

Keiji’s eyes widened a bit but he smiled after. “Alright, nice to meet you, Kenma.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------

November 11th - 1:00 pm - Tokyo’s Sector C

“Finally!” Yaku whispered to himself when he saw the silver haired alpha keeping guard alone in one of the intersections outside the sector’s fence. He knew that the alpha would end up being put somewhere around this side of the sector, since it was pretty far from the gate and close to an open sewer, so the older officers liked to put the younger ones there. Plus, since it was far from anything else, almost no one wandered around this part, so basically it was a boring and smelly job no one wanted to do.

Yaku had followed this alpha for the last two days while an older one accompanied him. This was also normal for the newcomers, so this way they could get the grip of how things are done there, but the mentoring never lasted for more than a couple of days, and then the guy would be put to work to find his way around on his own. Therefore, Yaku watched and waited. This alpha was the youngest to arrive, and that made him the perfect target to Yaku’s plan.

He approached the alpha from behind in total silence, waiting for being spotted at any moment by one of the guy’s senses. He got pretty close to the fence that stood between them when he started to think that something was off, since the alpha was still standing there, eyes aiming Sector B’s buildings across the road, and not a single tense muscle on his frame.

Yaku scowled, for sure the guy was not ‘sentinel material’ if he was being unaware of a skinny and starving omega’s presence. When he got closer, he even started to hear a little sound of sorts. _Is he whistling himself a song?_ Yaku pinched the flesh between his eyes and sighed in defeat. _Well, I guess I did ask for an idiot._

The omega then got closer to the fence and sat on the ground, back rested against the fence and sighed loudly this time.

“Well, I guess you are a rookie, aren’t you?” Yaku spoke to the sky and smirked to himself when the alpha behind him shot at least three feet from the ground like a startled cat.

“Shit! Hell, you scared me now, Sir!” the alpha said before trying the recompose his posture.

Yaku scowled at him looking over his shoulders and then looked away again. “Well, it is not my fault that you were here just whistling to yourself like you don’t have a single worry in the world.”

“Hum… I just,” the alpha scratched his head, “I guess I just got distracted, it is all.”

“Hum.” Yaku hummed faking no interest, he could feel the alpha’s eyes on his back and the curious demeanor that flew from him. “So, what’s your name rookie?”

“Oh, I am-” the alpha stopped, “Wait! I don’t believe I was supposed to talk to you.” he said in a whisper.

“Actually I believe you’re not supposed to give me food, wasn't it?” Yaku cocked his head in thought before turning a little to look at the alpha. “I’m not asking you for that, am I?”

“Oh… Oh I guess you’re not.” the alpha said after a moment of doubt.

Yaku chuckled and looked away again. “That’s right, I’m not. I just want to start a conversation you know, as a pastime, it is too boring in here.”

“Hum, I guess you’re right.” the alpha mumbled before opening a big smile and his voice filled with delight. “My name is Lev! Haiba Lev! My friends would call me Lev!” he added brightly.

“Would?” Yaku looked at him in doubt.

“Oh… yeah, I’m actually still trying to find those, somehow.” the alpha looked dejected.

_What is this? Am I talking to a stray puppy?_

“I can call you that. Lev, I mean, I can call you that.” Yaku said and turned to fully face the alpha, now able to see the complete transformation from sadness to delight in a second.

“Would you!? Would you really!?” Lev beamed at him.

_Definitely a puppy._

“Sure, I am Yaku. Nice to meet you, Lev.”

“Nice to meet you too, Yaku-san!”

_Gotcha._

“So what are you doing here Lev? Don’t they have anything better for you to do?” Yaku asked.

“Oh! I’m on watch duty now!”

“I see, and what’s in here to watch?

“Well, you know, the street… and people?” the alpha held his chin in thought.

Yaku snorted, “Well, I don’t know about you, but there’s no one around but us. And the street usually remain there by its own.”

“Hum… I guess you have a point.” he looked dejected again.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Yaku said with sympathy. “I bet it is because you’re new here, maybe they will see how your skills can be put to better use later.”

It was Lev’s turn to snort at that. “What skills? I am useless. At least that was what the academy’s instructor said.”

“How so?”

“Well, I was in the sentinel academy for three years before they gave up on me and said that my place would be with the city force.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. Was it your dream? Being a sentinel, I mean.”

Lev chuckled. “It was for lots of kids in the school, so yeah, I guess.”

Yaku hummed. “Would you try it again if you had the chance?”

“How would that be possible?” Lev laughed sadly. “I was already discharged. Besides, I would need at least one more enhanced sense for that.”

“Hum… but what if?” Yaku insisted.

Lev frowned in thought, a little sparkle returning to his eyes. “Well, then… then I guess I would! That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess it would.” Yaku said while looking up at the cloudy sky. “Not that I would know, since I’m an omega, but I guess it would be nice. Being a sentinel, living in a big base…”

“Tokyo’s Sentinel Base! Yeah! I went there once back at the academy.” Lev shouted happily.

“Oh, so you know where it is?”

“Yes, everyone knows it!” Lev beamed, “The base is pretty big, and their kitchen is huge! Oh, I wish I could have tasted that curry they were making when I visited there.”

Yaku’s stomach grumbled at that and he wanted to punch the alpha for reminding him that he never tasted curry himself.

“Oh, I bet it would have been good, right?” Yaku said with a half smirk.

“Well, it did smelled nice!” Lev beamed again, unaware of the omega’s annoyance. “But then again, omegas usually cooks well. Wait! Maybe you could cook in there too, Yaku-san!”

Yaku resisted the impulse for a face palm. How could this guy grow up to be this innocent?

“Well, maybe I could.” Yaku said. “But wouldn’t I need a sentinel to take me there? I don’t think I can go there on my own.”

“Oh yeah, I guess…” Lev said dejected again, scratching the back of his neck. “Guess that would be another wish, right? Just like my third enhanced sense.”

“And what would that be?” Yaku asked and had to complement his thought when the alpha blinked confused at him. “Your third sense, I mean. What would you want it to be?”

“Oh, right!” Lev smiled. “Well, I already have touch, which is a pain, and sight. So I guess I could do hearing now! That sounds cool, doesn't it?”

“Yeah it does. Like, hearing things from afar, right?” Yaku looked around and pointed to a bird in the sky. “Like the sound that bird might be making! What do you think it would sound like?”

Yaku saw when Lev looked toward the bird and the gears in the alpha’s head started to move. He took that chance to expand his own mind and nudge at the alpha’s, like reaching for a door handle and sneaking inside. Only that he did not find any barriers ahead of him, like the alpha’s head was an open book. He hid his own presence and tried to instigate the alpha’s subconscious to hear the bird.

“Like a… ‘pi pi pi’, or something?” Lev asked without looking away from the bird that was flying in circles.

“Well, maybe.” Yaku said, still trying to nudge at the alpha’s hearing sense. “Why don’t you try again?”

Lev’s face morphed into a more focused one and Yaku wanted to snort again, almost losing the grip on the alpha’s mind.

“Wait!” Lev suddenly cried with sparkling eyes. “I think it is something like a ‘craw’!”

“Well, it does seem like a crow to me.” Yaku said and retrieved himself from the other’s head, his own starting to ache a little. He knew that what he was trying to do would take time and practice, and even if he did not have much time, forcing it could melt the alpha’s brain and no good would come for that at the moment.

Lev beamed at him in a childish manner and Yaku could not help a small smile of his own. “Well, why don’t you keep practicing that Lev? Keep imagining how things would sound from afar, maybe it’ll help enhance your hearing sense.”

“You mean like a positive thinking?”

“Yeah, sort of. That and real practice. Don’t take the idea off your head for now.”

“I will! I mean, I won’t… wait.” Lev scratched his head, “I will practice and I won’t let it go!” He completed proudly.

“That's the spirit.” Yaku smirked.

_“OFFICER HAIBA!”_ the sudden call echoed from the alpha’s uniform and Yaku jumped to his feet, looking around to locate the threat and a place to run.

“Oh, sorry.” the alpha apologized when he saw the omega’s jump scare. “It’s just my radio coms, I have to put it on loud or else I just miss it. Hey! Maybe with enhanced hearing I won’t miss it anymore!” he finished happily.

“Yeah, maybe.” Yaku said while trying to ease his heartbeat back to a normal rate. “Don’t you need to answer it?” he asked when the voice called again, angrier now.

“Oh crap, yeah.” he fumbled with the equipment until finding the bottom by his shoulder to respond. “Hello, officer Haiba speaking.”

 _“WHAT HELL OF RESPONSE IS THAT!? REPORT TO THE GATE IMMEDIATELY!”_ roared the angry voice.

“Oh, yes Sir! Sorry Sir!” the alpha said and sighed. “I think he doesn't like me very much.”

 _You think?_ Yaku thought before answering. “Well, don’t mind him. I’ll be here again tonight, or in the morning if you’d like to practice your hearing some more.”

“You will!? Great! I'd like to do it!” Lev beamed.

“Well, go on then, before he yells at you again.”

“Oh yeah, right!” he began to walk away while waving “See you later Ya-”

Lev’s line was cut when Yaku immediately sent a suggestion to his brain, envisioning future problems otherwise. He could not trust this alpha with a secret right now.

_“Forget about me for now. Forget about our talk and our practice. Just come back tonight and remember me then.”_

Lev stopped talking and walked again in silence, not even trying to look at Yaku over his shoulders. Yaku sighed tiredly and sat down again, back against the fence and eyes up staring at the afternoon sky.

_I hope this works. And fast. He’s like a puppy and maybe I feel bad for- No! Keiji and Yahaba are what’s matter now. I need to do it! He is just an alpha!_

_He is adorable, isn’t he?_ Came that knowing voice.

Yaku’s face turned bright red and he covered it with both hands.

“Mom…” he grumbled to himself in defeat. He could definitely imagine his mother’s and even Hana’s giggles as if they were right there.

_I need to find the others soon, or else people will think I am schizophrenic or something._

He looked back at the sky and smiled again. People could think whatever they want to. His mother’s voice was his own to love and cherish, and he would never let go of it for nothing in the world.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

November 11th - 2:20 pm - Sentinel Squad’s Camp

Things had got a little quieter by the time lunch was ready, and even if Yahaba hated the fact that alphas would just be served their meal wherever they were instead of coming themselves to get it, at least Suga didn’t ask him to deliver anything. After that, the omegas had their lunch and now he was helping Suga putting away the leftovers that could be used at dinner while Keiji was with that Kenma person cleaning up dishes near the water truck.

_God, these people have a water truck to assist them on the road. What-the-Hell!_

And while he was distracted with his chore, a voice came to them and Yahaba turned to see one of the alphas from that night at the Hunt.

“Hey Suga,” the alpha said, “can you help with something?”

“Sure Iwa, what is it?” Suga responded with a smile, but not before looking around to be sure no one was paying attention to them.

“It is actually something to our friend here,” the alpha, _Iwa?_ , gestured toward him and Yahaba raised one eyebrow, “but I could use your help by being close by.”

“Sure, we’re almost done here, we can-” Suga started but Yahaba cut his speech.

“What do you want with me?” Yahaba asked while crossing his arms, eyes glued on the alpha’s.

The alpha sighed and faced him. “Look, I mean no trouble now, I just want to talk to you. My name is Iwaizumi Hajime, I believe you remember me from the day we found you guys back in Tokyo.”

“From when you bunch of assholes kidnapped us during the Hunt?” Yahaba stated bluntly, “Yes, I remember.”

“Yahaba…” Suga grumbled in defeat, “please, don’t talk like that in public.”

“Well, I’m not lying, am I?” Yahaba countered.

“No, you're not.” Iwaizumi said while Suga sighed in defeat, looking around again to make sure they were safe from prying ears. “I am actually here to apologize. That situation was far from right and it got way out of hand way too fast, that was not our intention. So, I am sorry for the harm that my friends and I ended up causing to you and yours. Please, forgive me.”

Yahaba blinked in surprise, that was by far the most formal apology he and Keiji had got since they were brought to the base. Sure, Bokuto had apologized to them both, but this person was taking it to another level. Like they were equals somehow. As if reading his mind, Sugawara smiled at him.

“You see, our Haj here is not like any other alpha you’ll ever know. You can trust his words are sincere.” Sugawara said.

“Huh,” Yahaba murmured and relaxed his posture before looking at the alpha, “I can’t say I forgive you right now but, I appreciate the apology.”

“That is all I wanted.” Iwaizumi smiled at him and Yahaba had to fight himself to not smile back. “That and actually another thing. I am not the only one that wanted to apologize. Will you give him a chance?”

“Him?” Yahaba asked in confusion and saw Iwaizumi looking behind himself toward another alpha away on the side of the road, almost like trying to hide behind one of the parked trucks. The blond alpha saw them looking and stepped out of view.

“Kentarou!” Iwaizumi did not shout but it looked like the blond alpha’s ear caught the call pretty well. A minute later he was peeking at them again. “Come here.”

Yahaba crossed his arms again and his face was showing that he was not appreciating the situation in the slightest. Sugawara put one hand in his shoulder and spoke softly.

“Come on, it will be fine, just give him a chance.”

“Last time he got near me I was attacked, my friends were hit and we were kidnapped.” Yahaba scowled, eyes never leaving the approaching alpha. “I don’t owe him shit. Why should I grant him anything?”

Iwaizumi sighed but said nothing, the blond alpha had a couple of black stripes in his hair that circled his head. Yahaba thought it looked pretty stupid, like a childish attempt to be rebel. That and the stare down that the alpha gave him the moment he got closer, stopping at an arm’s length distance and raising his chin to stare at the omega’s eyes.

“Your friend forgave Bokuto.” the alpha said bluntly. “Now you do it too.”

Yahaba raised an eyebrow with a pissed off expression, not missing Sugawara’s defeated sigh and Iwaizumi’s face palm. “Excuse me, I do what now?”

“You forgive our first encounter-” the alpha started to say but was cut short by Iwaizumi slapping his head.

“Didn’t I tell you to apologize properly? The hell you think you’re doing?” Iwaizumi snapped at him.

“I am trying to, but his face is pissing me off!” the blond alpha growled before eying Yahaba again. “I saw you earlier today, you challenge alphas, why do you do that? Why are you challenging me now?”

“He is not challenging you-” Sugawara tried to say but was cut short.

“Oh, but I am.” Yahaba growled, eyes never leaving the blonde’s. “So you saw that, right? Good. Because I challenged those assholes to defend myself, because I won’t low my head to the types of yours that believe you can snap your fingers and make me crawl on my knees.” Yahaba took a step closer and stared the alpha down, their heights not much different, but Yahaba had the upper hand. “I fought for survival ever since I presented, I have friends that have been fighting much longer, and I won’t give you what you want just because you’re an alpha. If you want respect you have to earn it, just like everyone else.”

A deafening silence followed and Yahaba kept staring the alpha down, eyes glued on each other. Sugawara and Iwaizumi shared a look and the alpha decided to speak.

“Kyoutani. Apologize.” he said, “And try to start over.”

The blonde alpha left a grumbled sound and took a step back, eyes never leaving Yahaba’s. “I am sorry for our first encounter Omega, I should have controlled myself better.” he said slowly.

Yahaba’s eyes darkened and Sugawara winned by his side, much like a cry reserved for idiots, “He has a name...”

“Which I don’t know!” the alpha snapped at Sugawara.

“And have you ever tried to ask?” Iwaizumi snapped back and gave the alpha another slap on the head.

The blonde was about to grumble something else but Yahaba’s icy voice came first. “Oh he did not.” eyes dark in fury. “He did not ask before jumping on me out of nowhere in the middle of the night. He did not ask before biting my neck and triggering my heat in the middle of a war zone. He did not ask before beating my friends up and tossing them to the street while they tried to save me. He did not ask before hunting me down when all I was trying to do was to take an abandoned girl to a safe place for the night.”

The other three were silent, eyes widening with every word. Sugawara covered his mouth with his hands and Iwaizumi eyed the ground, but Yahaba was not done. He took fast steps forward and grabbed the alpha’s uniform, bringing him closer to his own face.

“Do you even know what I was doing out there? What we were trying to do there?” Yahaba asked, spitting venom with every word, the alpha swallowed before shaking his head slowly. “I was fighting for a bag of rice with another bunch of miserable starving bastards that were also trying to survive that place. I had conquered rice and several canned foods, probably even spoiled ones, that should keep us and a house full of old people fed through the winter! But thanks to you and your lack of self-control, I had to trust our only weapon against starvation to a skinny looking girl that knew nothing of her surroundings.” Yahaba fumed in anger before throwing the alpha away from him, making the blonde stumble a couple of steps back to balance himself up.

“All I can do now is pray that she got home safe, that the food wasn’t stolen from her so the elders won’t starve.” Yahaba growled before turning and walking away from the three of them, speaking over his shoulders, “So you can shove your apology up your ass for all I care.”

Yahaba walked away without looking back, following the direction he knew Keiji had gone earlier. He was furious for all the reasons he could think of, for letting himself be taken, for abandoning Yachi alone, for endangering Keiji and Yaku, for not being able to run away from the base and now from this stupid camp, for-

He sighed and looked to the sky to prevent the tears to fall. He was scared, too scared, and even if there were people there trying to make them feel at home, there was also the knowledge that they would not let them go. And they needed to go, he knew it. Keiji was not safe here.

He looked forward and saw Keiji walking towards him, Kenma by his side, both carrying a bunch of washed dishes. Yahaba sighed and prayed for any deity out there to help him through this, to help him find a way out, to help him go back home.

_I am trying Yaku, I swear I am._

He took a deep breath and walked to meet the two omegas, taking some of the dishes to help them carry it back. Keiji looked at him with a concerned expression but Yahaba smiled at him, both somehow deciding to let it quiet for now.

Both wanting to know what to do next.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

November 11th - 4:40 pm

“Alright, this is what we know.” Daichi’s voice echoed inside the big command tent located in the middle of the campsite. A big folding table in the center of the tent held many papers spread with all kinds of information, and a portable white blackboard was in the corner with the plan of action. 

The tent was big but it felt too stuffed right now, since lots of the squad’s sentinels were present, and Bokuto looked around to many friendly faces. Kuroo was there by his side, of course, and also Asahi across from them by Daichi’s side. Also Iwaizumi and Oikawa, with Kyoutani mopping behind them like ignoring the meeting completely, which was not really much like him to space out. Saeko was by Daichi’s other side, since the captain had chosen her to command the next phase of the mission with Kiyoko as her second, and a bunch of guys that may also be going with them were also inside, closer to the exit.

“Last night the commander’s office back in Tokyo dispatched orders for us to be here today at noon, since they got word that a meeting would be taking place and they wanted us to investigate.” Daichi explained while pointing to the town’s location in the province’s map opened on top of the table. The town was small, much like a village really, and surrounded by some small hills that kind of isolated it. “Our camp is here, north of the town and on the other side of the main entrance, this hill is supposedly giving us cover from what the satellite images showed.”

“Sentinels Tanaka and Shimizu walked there today under covered to sort the terrain and to keep eyes open for the supposed meeting, and what they saw was some sort of political rally taking place in the center square.” Daichi said before turning to the women by his side, “Go ahead Sentinels.”

They nodded to the captain and Shimizu started her report. “People started to assemble by half past noon near the center square, we noticed a small wooden podium there, which was used by three male speakers when the meeting began, two betas and one alpha from what we could tell.”

“They sure did smelled like it.” Saeko added, “We stood by the side of a ramen stall on the west side of the square, facing the crowd from the side. There were clearly supporters up front, but not everyone was paying attention to it. Some were listening to what was being said, but much of the townspeople were just passing by and following their day.”

“So you believe the speakers were outsiders?” Iwaizumi asked. “Or maybe the town is just used to their speeches?”

“Outsiders, definitely.” Shimizu said while nodding to Iwaizumi. “We overheard two men inside the ramen stall talking about the entire ruckus they were doing since they arrived in the beginning of the week.”

“Physical ruckus or just speeches ones?” Daichi asked.

“Can’t know for sure, but it ain’t the first rally.” Saeko said. “And it seems they are getting new supporters by each day.”

“And what was the speech about?” Kuroo asked beside Bokuto.

“That’s the reason we’re here.” Saeko smirked. “They were talking against the government.”

Some grumbles were heard from the sentinels present, a few heads moving and whispered remarks here and there.

“Alright.” Daichi sighed gathering the crowd’s attention once more. “Bad enough for our interference?” he asked the two women.

“Would we be here otherwise?” Saeko said with a smirk while Shimizu only nodded. “Talk was the usual, speaking against the government corruption, sentinels and rich privileges, the rising taxes, yada yada yada. Everything command loves.”

“That and a summoning for a riot.” Shimizu added. “These men are not just aiming for a crowd, they’re recruiting. We heard of a private gathering that would take place at night, by 10pm forward.”

“We found the place they’re used to gather, an old house near the east side by the river.” Saeko said. “There we might find the rebels and their new recruits. I say it’ll be good enough to scare people off and to please the office.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Daichi nodded while thinking. “And office will want us to take them in as fast as we can to avoid more talking, so they’ll rush us to the base and let Fukuoka’s prosecutors do their job.”

“That’s what we thought. Time to get out of the damn road!” Saeko said while fisting the table and making everything tremble, cheers of ‘finally’ joining her.

“Alright, so we have a plan.” Daichi said after stabilizing the table and frowning at the female sentinel, getting only another smirk back. “Saeko will lead a party to the location while the meeting is taking place, Shimizu will be her second. I want minimal violence, you go in, you arrest people and you come out. No guns will be fired unless as response to their attack. There were no notifications of guns around so far, so for now we treat them as normal civilians, is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir!” the sentinels present responded in one voice.

“Saeko, take five more with you, get the best for undetected movement, I don’t want the whole town coming to the street to see a bunch of soldiers invading before the arrests. Light gear to move fast.” Daichi added toward the women and they saluted him formally.

“Yes, Sir!” she answered.

“Good. Iwaizumi!” Daichi looked toward him. “You’ll take Oikawa and Kyoutani to the other side of the river, across from the place and act as backup. Two as snipers and one to retrieve any escape attempt. Get there early in the night and stay out of sight, you’ll be our eyes to count how many to expect inside.”

“Yes Sir!” Iwaizumi saluted, Oikawa doing the same and Kyoutani perking up at the prospect of a fight.

“Kuroo, you and Bokuto will be outside the town’s west border in case someone runs that way. Non-lethal ammo, just don’t let anyone flee.” Daichi said. “Take Kenma with you and hide him behind the line. He’ll be able to feel any approaching presence faster than you two, and a telepathic blow will be more efficient than bullets.”

“Yes, Sir!” they said.

“I’ll take Sugawara and Akiteru with me to the city main entrance, Kageyama as well. We will have a truck to retrieve the prisoners. The omegas will be there for an eventual overflow of senses.” he looked to the alpha by his side, “Asahi, choose one of your nurses to come with me just in case. You’ll be in charge of the camp until I get back.”

“Yes, Sir!” Asahi saluted and Daichi looked at all his sentinels.

“You all have your orders. Go make yourself ready. Iwaizumi leaves by six, Kuroo at eight, at most. The rest of us will wait longer so no one suspects our presence. Sentinels dismissed.”

They all saluted and started to move. Bokuto left the tent with Kuroo to gather their equipment.

“Do you think I can meet Keiji before we go?” he asked. “I won’t be able to meet him for dinner, and I don’t want him to think I just bailed him!”

“Did you guys schedule dinner?” Kuroo asked with a knowing smirk.

“No…” Bokuto said shyly. “But I was going to… ask… later.” he averted his friend’s amused eyes.

“Sure you can buddy.” Kuroo chuckled, finding this side of his friend adorable. “I was already going to that side to get Kenma for the mission, we can use that as your excuse.” he smirked, as if Bokuto would ever need an excuse to do whatever he does.

Bokuto did not answer and his friend looked at him confused. He would usually perk up whenever Kuroo agreed with something he wanted to do, no matter how idiot or serious it would be. But now he was not actually happy. His mind was swirling with so many things that he did not even have the time to process it all.

“You ok in there, Bo?” Kuroo asked and Bokuto realized that he had been quiet for a while in their walk to the omega’s side of the camp.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” he said. “Kuroo… do you… do you think I’ll be able to take Keiji with us to missions? I mean, like Kenma and Suga usually goes?”

“You mean, as backup plans in case one of us freak out during a mission?” Kuroo asked slowly, eyes glued in the omegas that they were approaching, gaze searching for his mate. “Do you really want that? If it was my choice I would want Kenma as far away from any battle line as possible.”

“I know, it’s just…” he trailed off, “I just want to have him near me. I don’t like to feel apart, I don’t like the thought that something may happen to him if I’m not by his side.”

“Oh boy, you fell hard, haven’t you?” Kuroo snorted.

“Shut up!” Bokuto punched his friend’s arm.

“Don’t worry buddy, we’ll sort it out.” Kuroo messed with Bokuto’s hair, “We’ll ace this thing tonight and command will let us get to the base. Then you’ll have all support in conquering your soulmate's love, and everything will be alright.”

Bokuto snickered and pushed the other’s hand from his head, looking ahead and seeing Kenma talking with Suga by the side of the campfire, Keiji and Yahaba seated side by side not too far from it.

“Yeah,” he said with a smile already appearing in his face, “everything’s alright.”

_______________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey, Hey! Morning/Afternoon people!  
> How are you all doing? Oh, and I hope everyone had a good Halloween yesterday. We don't have it on my country, but since I know some of you do, hope you guys enjoyed!
> 
> Now, this chapter was like a filler? Maybe, but things are developing? How did you guys liked Yahaba's first face to face with Kyoutani? I loved writing it, by the way. Oh! And the next two chapters will bring us some action! Time to see our first sentinel mission!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter... AND THE NEW FANART RIGHT [HERE!](https://nicky-th.tumblr.com/post/633595017285500928/hey-hey-hey-another-chapter-another-fanart)  
> My sister [TH](https://th-luckystar.tumblr.com/) did it again, go see her blog for more arts!
> 
> Edit: And the amazing CheCheCheer also did a fanart! I'm so happy!!! You can see it [Here](https://twitter.com/CheeCheeCheer/status/1322902449657573379)! Thank you so much for this!
> 
> Thank you for the almost 100 kudos and 2000 hits! Love you all!  
> See you next week!


	11. At Least I’m not Oscar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How many of those can you take before passing out on me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody, welcome back!
> 
> Ready to see our boys in action?  
> Mentions of gunshot, hostages and blood. See you later, enjoy!

November 11th - 8:30 pm

“I see another one.” Iwaizumi spoke to the radio on his shoulder, “Male, between five to six feet tall, blond with a red jacket. No signs of guns. Entering the building now. Over.”

 _“Copy that India,”_ came the reply to his earphone, _“that makes it eight so far. How is the surrounding? Over.”_

“All clear, no commotions in sight. Over.” Iwaizumi responded.

 _“Good. Keep us posted.”_ and the line went mute again. Iwaizumi muted his own mic so that the official coms would not get their private talk. He was perked up in a tree on the other side of the river, far enough for no one to see, a sniper rifle in his hands and supported by a large branch. Oikawa was lying on his stomach on the ground by the tree’s side, another rifle in front of him while Kyoutani was seated a few feet away, light gear so that he would be fast to run if needed.

“So, gonna tell me why Mad-dog-chan is acting like a kicked puppy?” Oikawa asked from the ground.

Iwaizumi looked over his shoulder to where Kyoutani was mopping alone. “Someone kicked his ass earlier.”

Oikawa looked up, voice full of surprise. “And he let it happen?”

“It is difficult to retaliate when the attacker is using words other than fists.” Iwaizumi scoffed. “Especially when they were right.”

“Huh…” Oikawa mumbled before speaking in a snappy tone. “Shut up Kilo! I’m not teasing him now in the middle of the mission!”

“Who the hell you’re talking to?” Iwaizumi asked looking back down.

Oikawa turned to lay on his back and looked up, the rifle abandoned to its own support on the ground. “Kuro-chan and Bo-chan are in line 4, they’re in position.”

“Of course they’re in line 4.” Iwaizumi sighed. “Are you sure no one else is listening in?”

“Yep! They had Ken-chan hacking the line to keep it out of the main server. We’re clear, computer is only recording the first three lines.” Oikawa answered, making himself comfortable.

Iwaizumi sighed again but turned on his spare radio to connect to line 4, that being a common occurrence in their pack. Initially there were only three communication lines connected to their field computer server, and command always take the recordings when they get back to a base, apparently to track down any mistakes they might do in the field. Their first field mission back in the academy taught them to never mess with the coms, so after that they managed to create a new line, God and Kenma knows how, so that they could talk as they please. The only radios connected to the line were the ones Kenma himself connected to, but they preferred to keep their own names off the line, since you never know when another hacker would be able to find their line.

_Well, maybe Kenma would know. Too bad we cannot get him his own computer. So codenames it is._

He listened for a moment while static rolled around before a teasing voice spoke into his ear.

_“Password?”_

“Shut up asshole, you know it’s me.” Iwaizumi said.

 _“Outch! So grumpy India!”_ the voice snickered, _“Got yourself sore already seating up on that tree? Don’t let your rifle fall to the ground, our lives are at stake here!”_

Iwaizumi growled and Oikawa stifled a laugh, Kyoutani cocked his head to the side in confusion when he heard them.

“He’s grumpy because he takes everything too seriously.” Oikawa snickered from the ground.

“And you should take something more seriously!” Iwaizumi snapped at him. “You’re not even in position anymore Shittykawa! At least take care of your own rifle!”

“Iwa-chaaaan!” Oikawa whined and contorted himself like a stretching baby, “You’re already watching! And nothing major will happen at last for another couple of hours!”

 _“Alright kids, keep your marriage squabble out of the line so we don’t have to listen to it!”_ Kuroo’s voice came to their ear.

“Screw you Kilo!” Oikawa squawked.

 _“Ow! Who’s getting married?”_ came Bokuto’s voice.

 _“India and Oscar.”_ Kuroo said.

“Man, I hate this code!” Oikawa whined. “Why do I have to be Oscar?”

Iwaizumi snickered and turned back again to keep eyes on their target. Oikawa frowned at him from the ground.

_“Hey, hey, hey! I hate it too! I never know who is who!”_

_“How can you not know!? You just have to watch for the first letter of the name!”_ Kuroo squawked.

 _“Yeah but, what about people with the same first letter?”_ Bokuto sounded confused and Iwaizumi sighed, they had this argument too many times already.

 _“Dear God, then we use the other name!”_ professor Kuroo is always ready to repeat an explanation, _“Just like with the girls. Saeko is Tango and Shimizu is Sierra.”_

_“But Saeko doesn't start with a T…”_

_“It’s from TANAKA, Bokuto!”_ Kuroo yelled desperately.

Oikawa rolled in laughter and Iwaizumi shook his head with a smile, his friends were idiots, period.

_“I don’t know why we agreed to use the code if you guys will just shout all our names on the radio anyway.”_ came a new voice.

“Suga-chan, glad you made it. Stole a radio to come and play?” Oikawa teased.

 _“Well, you know me… Oscar. Always ready to play. What about you Oscar?”_ Suga had a smirk clear in his tone.

“Huh! Stop calling me That!” Oikawa whined and Suga’s laughter came to their ear.

_“Don’t worry Oscar, Delta gave me the radio in case India needs something. He’s in the truck talking about the last arrangements with Tango, we’ll be moving into position soon.”_

“Well, Iwa-chan is being a good soldier and staying in line 1.” Oikawa said and Iwaizumi saw him crossing his arms from his peripheral sight.

“I’m on line 4 as well, Oscar.” he said with a smirk.

 _“Yeah Oscar, he just talked to us here!”_ Kuroo’s voice teased.

 _“Need to pay more attention, Oscar. People can do multitasking!”_ Suga added.

“SCREW you all!” Oikawa yelled like a toddler.

“Shhh! Shittykawa keep your voice down! You’re supposed to be a sniper!” Iwaizumi snapped at him while Kuroo and Suga laughed in their ears. Oikawa mumbled something and turned his back at him, sulking on the ground.

 _“Hey, hey! Suga doesn’t have a code! Suga, what would be yours!?”_ Bokuto’s voice came.

 _“Well, Sierra and Kilo are already taken!”_ Suga said. _“But don’t worry, I don’t get to use the radio as much as you guys do, so I’ll be fine.”_

 _“But you need one too! OH! What about Silo? It comes from them both! What do you think!?”_ Bokuto beamed.

 _“What is he, an agricultural barn?”_ Kuroo said.

 _“A what now?”_ Bokuto asked, confused.

“Don’t be a nerd, Kilo.” Iwaizumi snickered and Suga laughed again.

 _“Shut up India, go back to watch duty!”_ Kuroo bit back.

 _“Anyway, you need a codename! Oh, so does Kenma! But he have two Ks…”_ Bokuto mumbled for a moment, clearly in deep thought. _“Would that make him Kiki? You know, like the ghibli girl?”_

A moment of silence came to the line before Kuroo’s voice sounded again, softer this time.

_“Own Kitten, that’s adorable!”_ he cooed. A loud slap and some mumbled words came from outside the line.

“I don’t think he liked it very much.” Iwaizumi snickered and Suga giggled, then a new voice came from outside the line on the omega’s end and they all went silent.

 _“Alright Suga, we’re leaving in five. Anything from Iwa?”_ Daichi’s voice asked.

 _“No Sir, everything’s in order.”_ Suga answered.

Another moment of silence came before a static sound got to the line, like a new radio connecting to it.

_“I hope you guys are not chatting in line 4 during the mission, again.”_ Daichi’s voice came through the line.

 _“No Cap! We’re all good!”_ Bokuto’s voice answered and they all groaned, a loud slap came and the alpha whined in his end.

“Way to go, Bravo.” Oikawa said into the radio.

 _“You all get your asses back to line 1 and focus on the mission!”_ Daichi yelled, _“And Oscar, I hope you didn’t abandon your rifle alone again!”_

This time Iwaizumi did not stop his own laughter when Oikawa squawked outraged into the radio, the others all rolling in laughter before turning back to the mission in line 1.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 11th - 9:53 pm - Sentinel’s Camp

Keiji was restless for some reason. He could not exactly tell why, but he was. He kept walking around their corner of the camp, from his sleeping bag to the edge of the trees and back, sometimes going near the campfire where most omegas were already asleep. The day was pretty full of chores and tasks, and everyone was tired, he included, but sleep didn’t come as expected. He walked back to their spot, a little too far from everyone else, and seated beside Yahaba’s sleeping form.

“I swear I’m gonna knock you out if you don’t lay down and sleep right now!” Yahaba threatened without opening his eyes. “I know you’re as tired as I am, so take the chance to sleep while you can! God knows what time they’ll wake us up after this damn mission in the town.”

“I know that, it’s just…” Keiji trailed off for a second. “I just can’t rest right now. Something’s going to happen, I can feel it.” he finished with a sigh.

“Is it coming for us?” Yahaba seated up looking alert now, he looked around for any potential threats.

“No, I don’t think so.” Keiji rubbed his eyes, he could feel a headache taking place anytime soon. “I think it has to do with their mission tonight. Bokuto sounded excited earlier this evening, like this was an opportunity to get to the base or something, but I just can’t shake away this odd feeling.”

Yahaba blinked at him before laying back down with a sigh. “Good, they can get shot for all that I care.”

Keiji scowled at his friend. “You don’t mean that.”

“No…” Yahaba said after a moment in silence. “I mean, they don’t need to die… but that blond bastard can have a grazing shot in his arm or something… just saying!”

Keiji scoffed. “You are horrible. Didn't he try to apologize?”

“That was a hell of stupid try if you ask me!” Yahaba covered himself and turned his back so Keiji would not be able to see his face. “That idiot can root somewhere for all that I care!”

Keiji sighed. “I’m not telling you to forgive him, but I don’t think it’s good for you to hate people forever.”

“Watch me.” Yahaba said.

Keiji sighed again and stood up, announcing that he was going for a walk. Yahaba didn’t say anything else and he left it that way. He walked past the omegas’ campsite toward a little stream where he bent down to wash his face, the cold water making him feel somewhat better. He could see the town’s lights from there, as well as the noises from the sentinel’s campsite, not very loud but still there.

He looked toward the stars and sighed again, actually doing that a lot lately. He could not help it though, something was messing with his feelings since he woke up after the Hunt. He knew that he should feel like Yahaba, hating every single alpha under the sun, but he also could not, he did not. He still wanted to leave, to get away from all of this, to go back to Yaku and their home. However, something was also telling him that he did not want to go alone.

Suddenly a cracking sound by his side made him jump in fear of an attack. He looked around scared and saw the alpha doctor approaching him. He really was distracted if he did not feel the other’s presence before the sound.

“Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” the alpha said, raising up his hands and slowing down. “Heard something up here while I was patrolling the edge of the camp. Everything’s alright?”

“Yes, it is fine, I was just walking around.” Keiji answered calming down, for some reason he did not see the doctor as a threat anymore. “But I was about to go back again-”

“No worries,” Asahi said waving a hand in the air. “I just thought the omegas were already asleep, since they usually turn in early.”

“Yeah, they are. I just couldn't sleep.” Keiji said, starting to ask himself why he was talking so freely to the alpha, he should not trust him.

“Are you worried about something? I can get you something to help you sleep-” Asahi started to offer but stopped when he saw Keiji’s eyes grow with fear. The omega circled his arms around his own body and took two steps away, a frightened smell oozing the air suddenly. “Ok, ok, forget that. I won’t give you anything you don’t want!” he said hurryingly, raising his hands up again to show he meant no harm.

Keiji took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself again, not understanding the sudden wave of panic in the simple mention of a medicine. He was feeling anxious, helpless and vulnerable. And he did not like it at all.

_I need to pull myself together, I cannot let this place control me like this._

“I’m ok, I…” Keiji took another breath and looked at the alpha again. “I’m fine now.”

Asahi nodded and lowered his hand, but he didn’t get closer. “Good, if you begin to feel ill or something you can talk to me, alright? Or to Suga, he’s good at this too.” he smiled friendly.

“Yeah, sure. Thank you.” Keiji said. “I guess I should really get back to bed now.”

“I believe that’s for the best.” the alpha nodded. “Always better to stay inside camp during night missions.”

Keiji’s heart suddenly ached inside his chest. “Do you think something bad is going to happen?”

“What?” Asahi raised an eyebrow. “No, this is a simple mission, and the camp is quite far from the target. I don’t think we need to worry about anything happening here tonight.”

“And what about the ones in town?” Keiji asked suddenly, not understanding the reason for these worrying feelings. “Are they in some kind of danger? Is Bo-” he cut his speech before he could say the name, frowning to himself confused.

Asahi looked at him for a moment, neither of them speaking. He then smiled to himself and took the hand radio from his belt.

“Here, let me show you something.” He approached Keiji slowly, but the other did not look like he was about to run anymore, so he raised the radio and changed the line.

Keiji kept silent while the device in the alpha’s hand made a weird sound, and suddenly he could hear voices coming from it and his eyes grew in wonder.

_“And then India head-butted me and said that all my hair gel was stupid and it was just taking too much space in the luggage!”_ he heard the phrase as a whining.

 _“Can you blame him? It is all stupid!”_ came a voice he knew, was it that guy from this afternoon?

_“Shut up Kilo! You’re not helping!”_

_“Oh! I totally get it Oikawa! I had to eat all my snacks in ten minutes because Kenma said he wasn’t going to let me stuff it all inside my bag!”_ Keiji’s eyes bugged out of his face and he looked at Asahi. This voice he knew, it was…

Asahi chuckled and nodded to him. “Yeah, that’s Bokuto. Blowing up the codenames on the radio again.”

“How are they…?” Keiji trailed off. “Weren’t they on a mission?”

“They are, and Saeko’s team should be getting in movement anytime now”. Asahi said. “This is Line 4. The idiots just like to chat like they’re on perpetual vacation.”

_“What did you expect Bravo? Last time you stuffed food in your bag the chocolate melted and we had to wash everything three times after lights out!”_

_“But it wasn’t my fault it melted!”_

_“It was if you forgot it there for a week! Besides, the wrap was already open!”_

The banter continued and Keiji blinked at the laughers and calls of ‘ _stupid owl!’_. He looked up again and the alpha doctor retrieved the radio to his belt after turning it off again.

“They seem alright.” Keiji said, his chest much lighter.

“They are. Just the same idiots as always.” Asahi chuckled.

Keiji nodded before yawing suddenly. “Oh, I guess it’s better if I go to bed now.”

“I believe that’s wise. Good night Keiji.” Asahi said and waved before walking back to the camp.

“Good night.” Keiji said before they parted ways. He walked back to Yahaba and laid down in his sleeping bag, body heavy and tired but somehow more peaceful.

“Go to sleep Keiji!” Yahaba said the moment he laid down beside him.

“Ok, I’m going. Don’t get so grumpy.”

Yahaba grumbled some more but went back to sleep. Keiji sighed again and looked up at the stars, he could see that one looked brighter than the others. A smile came to his face as fast as the peaceful sleep that came only a minute later.

\----------------------------------------------------

_“Moving inside now, streets are clear, two minutes till the target, over.”_ Saeko’s voice came through the radio and filled the truck’s cabin where Daichi and Suga were monitoring the mission with two tablets that showed the team’s body cameras. Kageyama was on watch duty outside the cabin while Akiteru and a beta nurse were on standby at the back.

“Roger that Tango, engage as planned.” Daichi spoke into the truck’s radio. Everything looked good so far, and the mission started exactly half past ten since he wanted to give time for any late attendants to be inside the building before the team gets there. Iwaizumi last informed of a newcomer fifteen minutes ago, and after that, no one else showed, so they were cleared to start. There were also no signs of guns so far, so luckily, they should be fine.

“Let’s hope they don’t have guns hidden inside.” Sugawara said after basically reading his mate’s mind.

“Yeah, let’s hope for that.” Daichi chuckled before taking his mate’s hand and squeezing it lightly, the omega squeezing it back.

“It will be fine Dai, Saeko and Shimizu got this.” Suga smiled.

“I know, babe, I know.” Daichi said with a sigh, he trusted his team, he knew they all could handle the mission. But still there was a tickling thought in the back of his mind telling him that things were about to go wrong.

The couple looked back at the cameras’ feed when Saeko’s voice informed them they had reached the door.

_“We've reached the target, no movement here yet.”_ Saeko said.

 _“East team got eyes on you Tango, no apparent movement by the upstairs’ windows, you’re clear to go.”_ Iwaizumi informed after.

“Alright, get inside, no shooting unless they engage first.” Daichi gave the order.

 _“Roger that!”_ Saeko answered with a clear smirk in her voice. A second later her camera feed showed her right foot kicky the door open, wood shards flying around as the team got inside the building.

Sugawara held his breath while looking at the feed as the team moved inside, calls of clear and fast movement as Saeko and Shimizu walked inside the main room where a bunch of people were scattered around a center table, maps and papers on top of it. The group was clearly surprised to see a bunch of sentinels arriving in the room, some men jumped to their feet and started to scream about what was going on, two young women cornered themselves and started crying immediately.

_“Everyone hands up where I can see! Stand down!”_ Saeko shouted while entering the room, her gun in front of her. Her feed showed the left side of the room while Shimizu’s showed the right. Two more sentinels went inside with them, while the others were clearing the rest of the house.

 _“What is the meaning of this!?”_ a man stood up, face red in fury, alpha by the looks of it.

 _“On the ground, Now!”_ Saeko took the challenge and walked up to the man. _“You were at the rally this afternoon, are you in charge here?”_ her camera feed got the man’s expression perfectly, and Sugawara saw the recognition and despair roll up his face. He reached for something in his belt but Saeko was faster and pinned him to the wall before he could reach the gun.

People started screaming and three other men went for the sentinels, just to be pinned down as well. Daichi saw when Shimizu dodged a blow from a taller alpha and kicked his legs before aiming a powerful punch that knocked him out immediately.

_“Everybody on the ground Now! Hands behind your heads!”_ Shimizu’s voice came and most of the people did as told, but yet, one man tried to run through a side door just to be caught by a sentinel waiting in the hallway. Two more were still standing, looking frantically around as trying to come up with a plan, behind them a woman was holding herself while breathing heavily.

 _“You three, on the ground, Now!”_ Saeko said, she had cuffed the man that attacked her and made him kneel beside another sentinel. She walked toward the three still standing with her gun back up front. _“No one need to get hurt, get down to the ground and put your hands behind your heads.”_

Daichi saw through the feed that the room had at least ten people down on the ground, some trembling and crying. They should be the townspeople lured there by the speech. However, the man that Saeko cuffed and the one in the hallway, as well as the two men and the woman still standing, looked like they knew exactly who they were, they had definitely met sentinels before.

“These are the outsiders.” Daichi pointed to the people on the feed.

“Dai… I do not like this.” Sugawara said while looking at Saeko’s feed. “The woman, she’s not alright, something’s wrong.”

Daichi looked at the woman in the feed, she was now holding her head in pain and the two men stepped in front of her like trying to shield her from the sentinels. He frowned and took the truck’s radio again.

“Tango, Sierra, circle the table and take these two away from the woman, something’s wrong.” Daichi spoke into the radio and they both moved closer immediately, the men taken by surprise bared their fangs out and growled.

 _“Stand down, that’s the last warning!”_ Saeko said again and the sentinel’s feed from behind her caught the moment her hand went to her back to retrieve a taser baton, Shimizu doing the same.

 _“No! You stay away! Let us go!”_ One of the men said, he looked younger and more frightened.

 _“Not an option.”_ Sugawara noticed how stead Shimizu’s voice was. _“Get down to the ground and no one will get hurt.”_

 _“NO!”_ the man in cuffs suddenly screamed. _“Don’t let them get you! DO IT NOW!”_

The man in front of Saeko lunged for her and she dodged before using the taser on him, letting him fall unconscious to the ground. The younger one screamed and jumped toward Shimizu, who caught his punch and kneed him in the stomach, she trusted him toward the sentinel behind her who was ready to cuff him when things got suddenly more complicated.

Daichi and Sugawara saw Saeko take a step toward the woman when her eyes suddenly snapped open and she left a high-pitched scream, her bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils flooding with tears. She raised her hand up and a sudden force threw Saeko away toward the wall. The force knocked everyone else down, taking the sentinels by surprise as screams were heard everywhere.

“What was that!?” Sugawara jumped when he saw the sentinels fall to the ground, some of them clutching their heads in their hands and screaming in pain.

“Tango! What the hell was that!? Over!” Daichi screamed on the radio but all they heard was screaming from everyone on the floor. The woman was still screaming too, and the lamps began to blow in the room and glasses were breaking all around the place.

 _“Delta! What the hell is going on!? The building seems to be shaking and the street lamps are blowing up everywhere! Do we need to engage?”_ Iwaizumi’s voice came through the line.

 _“This is Kilo on the west side. Empath here just felt a mental blow in course, do you need backup?”_ Kuroo’s voice came. And if he was talking in the mission line about an empath, then Kenma must have got a hell of sign, probably a headache as well.

“Negative India, wait for instructions! Kilo, remain in position.” Daichi said before trying the mission team again. “Field sentinels, status! Does anyone copy?”

No one responded for a couple of seconds, but then Saeko’s body camera showed that she was somehow moving, heavy and painfully, but at least she wasn’t unconscious. The others feeds showed that some of the sentinels were still awake, but in pain, while two of them were completely still.

“Tango! Do you copy?” Daichi asked again and cursed off the radio when she did not immediately reply. He then decided to send backup. “India, we’re moving in, get your team inside to retrieve them. I’m taking the truck to the target.”

 _“NO!”_ Saeko’s voice came suddenly. _“Too… stro-ng… you won’t make… it.”_ she was clearly in pain and her breathing was too heavy, as if drowning in her own words. Somehow, they all knew what she meant. Whatever was afflicting them would only affect any backup sent there as well, but Daichi was not just about to abandon the entire team there.

 _“We are approaching the target-”_ Iwaizumi began to speak but his voice was suddenly cut, then it came back more urgent. _“Delta! Oscar and Mad-Dog are feeling the blow! The empath ratio is growing!”_

Before Daichi could curse again or even start the vehicle, someone pounded at the door from the outside, making him and Sugawara jump. Outside was a panicking Akiteru screaming for them to open the door, while Kageyama was holding the omega’s arm to try to take him away from the truck. Sugawara opened the door looking scared.

“Akiteru, what-?” his question was cut out by the other omega.

“Let me talk to her!” Akiteru screamed looking at Daichi. “Our mind shield is wavering! Let me talk to her!”

Sugawara’s eyes grew in understanding and not even a second later Daichi got the message from their bond. He then barked at Kageyama to let go of the omega and Akiteru all but jumped inside the truck’s cabin, not waiting for Suga to move out of the way and almost ripping the radio out of Daichi’s hand.

“Sae! Sae it’s me, can you hear me!?” Akiteru spoke into the radio.

No one spoke for a moment until Saeko’s painful voice came through. _“Aki…”_

“Hey, hey listen to me!” Akiteru said with something like relief before adding with a smirk, “How many of those can you take before passing out on me?”

Daichi arched his eyebrow and Sugawara tried to muffle a chuckle. A moment later Saeko’s laughter came fully through the radio.

_“Thanks Aki, I guess I really needed that!”_ she said and moved to sit up. Through her camera feed, they could see the place was in chaos, with a bunch of people passed out on the ground, others clutching their heads. The woman was not screaming bloody murder anymore, but she was still clutching her head and sending some kind of force around the room to keep people away.

Saeko got her handgun out and shot somewhere above the woman to scare her and make her stop the power wave around the room. It worked a bit, but the sentinel was suddenly sent back to the ground when a body hit her from behind, since she was still a bit affected by everything and didn’t notice that the man from before had got up after the sentinel that was watching him passed out. He ran towards the woman after retrieving the cuff’s key from the ground, while screaming for the younger one that attacked Shimizu earlier to get up and follow them outside.

_“Shit! They’re running away!”_ Daichi heard Saeko say while driving the truck inside town, Sugawara and Akiteru in the cabin with him while Kageyama was in the back with the beta nurse.

“India, can you intercept them?” Daichi asked when Sugawara trusted the radio toward him.

 _“Copy that, we have eyes, engaging pursuit!”_ Iwaizumi’s voice answered.

“Don’t lose them!” Daichi said. “We’re almost there Tango, team status!”

 _“Three down inside with me, the other two must be in the hallway.”_ her feed showed that she was walking toward Shimizu. _“Sierra’s awake but bleeding through her ears. Hey girl, talk to me!”_ she added while taking Shimizu’s face to see her unfocused eyes.

“Her mind shield was probably affected during the blow.” Sugawara said while looking at Shimizu through Saeko’s feed.

“Saeko would probably be in the same state if it wasn't for Akiteru being here.” Daichi added.

“Was that your fail safe for the shield?” Sugawara smirked toward Akiteru, “I bet there’s a good story behind it!”

“Don’t look at me, it’s that maniac’s fault!” Akiteru chuckled while pointing at his mate on the tablet. “She asked me that while trying to get me drunk the first time we met!”

Sugawara laughed and Daichi chuckled seconds before pulling up in front of the house. The alpha opened the door and told the omegas to stay behind him until he and Kageyama cleared the way. When they were about to enter the place, Saeko came out while supporting Shimizu’s body, the raven-haired alpha clearly dizzy but more coherent than before.

“The leader and the woman are gone, just like the younger one and the one from the hallway. They left the one I tased behind, though.” she told them and Akiteru came to Shimizu’s other side to help take her to the back of the truck.

Daichi nodded. “India is in pursuit. Take Sierra to the nurse and make sure you are alright as well. Kageyama, go clear the place for threats, Sugawara, with me!”

They all nodded and did what was told, and Daichi entered the room to go straight for their prisoner while Suga looked at the sentinels to see if any of them needed his imminent help.

“They all took a huge blow, but I don’t think they're in danger right now.” Sugawara said.

“Let’s get them back to the truck.” Daichi said and seconds later Kageyama came inside the room saying that the rest of the house was cleared. “Kageyama, take this one and cuff him to the truck, he’s our prime suspect. Then use the radio to call Asahi and tell him to dispatch a medical team to our location.”

Kageyama nodded and did as told while Daichi went to help Sugawara take the first passed out sentinel.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” Suga whispered to his mate. “No one knew about an empath with this level of power in a town like this.”

“Yeah…” Daichi trailed off. “Let’s just hope the guys don’t lose them too.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If anyone said earlier today that a simple mission like this one could go so wrong so fast without the three idiots being direct involved, Iwaizumi would have called them mad and stupid. But well, that kind of just happened.

He still was not sure of what was happening, even now while he ran in pursuit of four targets through the maze of narrow streets in the small town. He was not supposed to be running at all, since he was playing the sniper today, but since his team was the closest to the site, it was up to them to retrieve the runners.

Plan went wrong when that sudden force began to shake everything. Being in the east side of the small river and hidden by the line of the trees, Iwaizumi sensed something inside his head, like a sting in the back of his head that was clearly trying to start a headache. Oikawa and Kyoutani sensed a shift in the air, sniffing some kind of a threat near.

“Iwa? Are you alright?” Oikawa had asked him from his spot behind his rifle on the ground.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Iwaizumi said while blinking to push back the tiniest dizziness that came to him suddenly.

“Something is wrong. I can smell it.” Kyoutani said approaching them from behind, fully focused on the imminence of a fight.

Suddenly they heard an ear piercing scream and the whole house started to shake, the lamps outside began to blow up through the street and they heard Daichi’s screams through the radio asking for what was happening.

“I can hear the team screaming, we have to help them!” Oikawa said the same time as Kyoutani growled, already taking two steps towards the target.

“Wait, we need to be careful to not get affected as well!” Iwaizumi said while clutching his head with one hand, the headache growing, but he still used the radio to ask if Daichi wanted them to go inside anyway. Kuroo’s voice came through immediately after his contact, and now that he knew that Kenma was also feeling this, he got even more worried.

_Is this empath that strong that even I am being able to sense them?_

Iwaizumi climbed down the tree he was using since the beginning of the mission to wait for Daichi’s instructions while listening to their captain’s tries in contacting the team inside. A minute later came the order for them to move and retrieve the team, Kyoutani all but darted forward like a hound being released after his pray, Oikawa doing the same after taking a glance at Iwaizumi to be sure that the other was alright.

_Guess this got him on edge too, huh._

He took out his handgun and ran after the other two, but once they were approaching the water to get to the target, Kyoutani fell hard to the ground while screaming and holding his head in his hands.

“Kentarou! What the-” Iwaizumi stopped his question when Oikawa fell hard onto the ground, only managing to roll to his side before face planting.

“Oikawa!” Iwaizumi went to him and tried to take the brunette’s hands out of the way so he could see his face. “Tooru! Tooru, hey, look at me!”

Oikawa mumbled something while moving around on the ground, saying that his head was going to explode. Iwaizumi was feeling it too, not like his own pain, but he could feel his shield inside Oikawa’s mind wavering dangerously. He screamed the situation for Daichi through the radio before taking Oikawa’s face in his hands and touching their foreheads together.

“Tooru, come on, breathe with me. It’ll be alright.” he said in a slow soothing voice, trying to enhance the mind shield like Sugawara had taught him when his telepathic abilities began to show. “I’m here Tooru, you can deal with this, Shittykawa.”

Oikawa’s breaths began to slow down and Iwaizumi could feel his mind focusing again.

“So… so rude, Iwa-chan…” Oikawa mumbled, closing his eyes and sighing.

“Well, it got you back, right?” Iwaizumi smirked.

“No, you got me back.” Oikawa said. “Like always.”

Iwaizumi chuckled. “Don’t get cheesy with me now, you asshole. Are you alright?”

“I’ll live. Damn, what was that?” Oikawa asked.

“That was a hell of a telepathic attack.” Iwaizumi answered looking around and spotting Kyoutani still on the ground with his hands in his head. “Shit! Kentarou!” he stood up and ran to the blonde, collapsing by his side to try help him.

Kyoutani growled when Iwaizumi tried to pry his hands away from his face and Oikawa came running to help hold him.

“Hey, calm down! It’s me buddy!” Iwaizumi said and put his hands on the blonde’s temple. “Easy now, help me here Kentarou, can you hear me?” he asked while trying to create at least some kind of mind barrier in the younger’s head.

Suddenly they all heard a gunshot from inside the house and Kyoutani calmed almost instantly, which helped Iwaizumi to add a layer inside his mind to protect him. It was not a mind shield like the one he could make for Oikawa, but it was something. Only Kyoutani’s mate would be able to fully shield his mind, and Iwaizumi could now only put something like a band-aid to protect his brain.

“Are you ok?” he asked the other.

Kyoutani did not answer, but nodded nonetheless. They sigh in relief before Daichi’s voice comes through the radio again telling them to pursue the fugitives. The three alphas looked immediately to the house and saw three men and one woman running outside and down the side street by the river. Iwaizumi looked at his companions to make sure they were alright, they both nodded and stood to run after the targets.

They crossed the river fast, luckily it was shallow and the water hit at their shin, and entered the streets after the runners. 

Things were more difficult since now there were people going out on the streets to see what the entire ruckus was about, so they could not just take out their guns to stop anyone. Even aiming for a grazing shot could be life threatening right now, since they cannot risk hitting a passerby. Some streets were also drenched in darkness since the mind attack from before, and Iwaizumi had to trust his instincts to not lose the target. Luckily, Oikawa and his enhanced sight was with him, so he just needed to follow their mind connection.

The sentinels were getting closer, their military training made them faster than ordinary people, so now they could see the fugitives even when they tried to take side streets to hide their tracks. Iwaizumi saw when one of the men separated himself from the group, running to the opposite direction in panic after looking back at them. So he told Kyoutani to follow this one while he and Oikawa closed in on the other two and the woman.

Iwaizumi shouted for them to stop and surrender, already close to tackle them to ground when they turned a new corner and were received with gunshots that flew in their direction. They jumped to opposite sides of the street and took shelter behind a dumpster and a light post.

“Well, seems like the guy still has a gun.” Oikawa said from behind the dumpster, his handgun in hand to respond fire.

Iwaizumi took a fast look from behind the light post and saw that they were in an alley with no exit, the older man was standing in the middle, gun in hand and aiming for them. A couple more shots flew past and they could see how trembling the other was. The woman was on the ground beside the older man while the younger one was visibly panicking.

“Put down your weapon and get to the ground, Now!” Iwaizumi said from his position, his gun in hand. “You have nowhere to go from here, so surrender now and no one will get hurt!”

“Go to hell, you bastards government pigs!” The man barked at them and shot again. Then he looked to the side and took the woman by the arm, making her stand up and bracing her in front of himself as a human shield.

“NO!” the younger male screamed, “What the hell are you doing!?”

“Let’s just see if they want to shoot us now!” the older said, tightly holding the woman who was struggling against him.

“Bastard, now he’s using his own friends as hostages.” Oikawa cursed, “Let the girl go!” he screamed to the man.

“Delta, we have a hostage situation. Four blocks from the initial target, an alley near the west side.” Iwaizumi said into the radio.

 _“Copy that India, sending Kilo and Bravo for backup, see if the empath can aid the situation. I am on my way in a few.”_ Daichi said through the radio.

“Roger that.” Iwaizumi said. “Kuroo and Bokuto are coming, are you on line 4?” he asked Oikawa.

“Always!” Oikawa smirked and turned the radio on. “Hey douchebags, where you at?”

 _“Closing in your position in a couple minutes Trash King.”_ Kuroo’s voice came. _“You couldn’t manage one mission without us, could you?”_

“This wasn’t the plan!” Iwaizumi heard the young male on the alley arguing with the older one, “Let her go!”

“The plan is to leave here alive you moron!” the man barked and pointed his gun to his companion that was trying to take the crying woman away from him. “You get in my way and I will shoot you!”

“Tell Kuroo to take Kenma to the second floor of this brown building. He’ll have a closer range from there, and it’s out of this guy’s sight.” Iwaizumi said and Oikawa repeated the order lower in his radio. “Stand down and let the girl go, Now!” he barked loud to the man that turned again in his direction.

“Shut up you bastard!” the man screamed, visibly desperate.

“Let her go!” the younger one said again. He was looking too scared and the woman was crying louder.

“Let her go and we can negotiate.” Iwaizumi said to them.

Not a minute later Bokuto was crouching beside Oikawa. “Hey! Kuroo is in position with Kenma. Do you want them to engage?” he asked.

“See if Kenma can take down the older one, he is the greatest threat.” Iwaizumi answered and Bokuto nodded.

“The only negotiation you’ll do is over my dead body!” the man screamed and aimed the gun to the woman’s head. “Now let us go or I’ll shoot her!”

“Calm down!” Iwaizumi screamed at him. This situation was getting worse too fast. He was not an expert in hostage situations, for God’s sake. “Just tell me your demands and well talk this through.”

 _“India, Ken said he can take the guy, but he is afraid that the gun in his hand may fire when he does it.”_ Kuroo’s voice came from Oikawa’s radio.

“We have to make him lower the gun from her head first.” Oikawa said, eyes not leaving the targets.

Iwaizumi cursed his luck. This is not how it was supposed to go. It was a simple mission, in and out, as they did a million times. And now here he was, in a dark alley in the middle of a town God knows where, wishing for a maniac to lower his freaking weapon from a girl’s head-

_Wait… did his hand just moved?_

Iwaizumi blinked for a second. Somehow he saw a slight movement in the man’s hand right when he thought about him lowering the gun. It was fast and he does not know if he was imagining it, but something was tickling the back of his mind.

Something was telling him to try again.

Iwaizumi focused in the guy’s hand and wished for it to lay down. He could still hear the noises from his surroundings but paid them no mind. The man’s hand began to tremble slightly, the guy did not seem like noticing it.

However, Iwaizumi’s head started to hurt and he did not know how long he would be able to do it. The guy’s hand was moving inches by the seconds, if he could just hold-

_“Oh… do you want to try this together?”_ Iwaizumi heard Kenma’s voice inside his head. He blinked for a moment confused.

 _“How is this possible?”_ He asked in thought.

Oikawa snapped his attention to him but remained silent. Iwaizumi could hear Bokuto asking the brunette what was wrong but Oikawa just shushed him.

_“Don’t worry about it now. What were you trying to do?”_ Kenma asked inside his head.

 _“I was wishing for his hand to lay down the gun.”_ Iwaizumi answered.

_“Ok, let’s try it together.”_

Iwaizumi focused again and felt Kenma doing the same, he did not know how but it was working. The man had not noticed his own hand moving yet, screaming at the younger one that was trying to get the sobbing woman away.

Behind him, Iwaizumi heard when Daichi arrived and asked for status, but he focused on his own task while Oikawa answered for him. He smiled when he noticed that his companion knew exactly what he was doing. Suddenly a hand touched his back and a new voice entered his mind.

_“Can I give you guys a hand?”_ Sugawara's voice asked.

 _“Please, if my headache increases, Kuro will combust out here.”_ Kenma said, annoyed.

Iwaizumi chuckled and together the three of them wished for the gun to get down.

But right when things were about to end, when the gun was away from the woman’s head and almost directed to the ground so they could take the guy without major risks, the young man in the alley noticed the gun facing away and lunged forward to get the woman away.

That snapped the older man out of what they were trying to do and he raised his gun again, shooting the younger male in a hurry.

“NO!” they all screamed and Oikawa and Bokuto aimed their guns to shoot the man before he could hurt the girl too. However, the moment the younger one cried when shot, the woman’s eyes widened in terror and she left an ear-piercing scream that sent a mental shock wave all around.

They were all pushed back to the ground and the alley trembled like a minor earthquake. Everyone grumbled but this time the alphas did not feel as much pain as the attack in the house, as if the burst was conducted toward something else.

“What the hell was…” Oikawa started before looking at Iwaizumi. “Hajime!? Hajime, what’s wrong?”

Iwaizumi was trembling on the ground, eyes wide and blood rolling from his ears. He could hear Oikawa screaming for him in the distance, but his sight was completely blank, like facing a piercing white light. He tried to move or say something, but he seemed to be unattached from his body.

It took a couple of minutes for him to come back to his senses. He felt something pulling him, more like a wish tugging him to his own head and guiding him back. Slowly he noticed that he was seated on the ground, the side of his body slumped against someone’s chest and his head cradled in the crook of their shoulder with a hand caressing his hair.

“What…?” he mumbled.

“Oh God…” Oikawa said in clear relief. “Thank God you’re back. Look at me Hajime!”

Oikawa made Iwaizumi look at this face and sighed again, eyes full with unshed tears.

“What happened?” Iwaizumi asked, still a little dizzy.

“What happened? WHAT HAPPENED!?” Oikawa snapped, looking at his face. “You almost gave me a heart attack! That’s what happened you asshole!” the brunette mumbled a thon of more curses while hugging Iwaizumi and burying his own face in the other’s neck.

“What?” Iwaizumi said while trying to look around and past his boyfriend’s huge body. “Wait a minute Tooru, what about the mission?”

Oikawa only mumbled something else and remained hugging him. A hand touched Iwaizumi’s back and he turned to see Daichi crouching beside the two of them.

“Hey Iwa, are you okay?” Daichi asked while searching his face for something.

“Yeah, I’m alright. What about the mission?” Iwaizumi asked.

“It is over, don’t worry about it.” Daichi said. “You took a huge blow, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Iwaizumi said before tugging at Oikawa. “Hey Tooru, let me off the ground.”

Oikawa mumbled more curses and whined about how mean Iwaizumi was but stood up to help him off the floor. The moment Iwaizumi was up on his feet he wobbled dizzily, making Daichi and Oikawa’s hand instantly shot to stead him.

“I’m not buying it! I’m taking you to a doctor!” Oikawa said.

“I’m fine, just give me a minute.” Iwaizumi said back to him.

“Come to the truck, Suga’s there too.” Daichi said and they got to the back of the truck where Sugawara was seated cradling a bag of ice to his head.

“Hey Iwa, good to know you made it.” Sugawara smirked at him.

“You too apparently.” Iwaizumi chuckled. “How are you doing?”

“Fine now. I did not get it so bad since Dai was holding the bond and pulled me back when the girl’s mental blow hit. Just gonna nurse a headache for a while.” the omega answered. “Kenma was closer, though.”

“Dammit, how’s he doing?” Iwaizumi asked.

“Bad, and I’m taking him to a hospital!” Kuroo said while suddenly appearing with Kenma in his arms, Bokuto followed right after carrying their equipment.

“Shut up Kuro, I’m fine, It’s just a nosebleed.” Kenma said while holding a small rag to his nose, looking pretty comfortable in his mate’s arm.

“It is not fine!” Kuroo snapped at him but did not make a move to put Kenma down. “You passed out for a moment back there, scared the shit out of me!”

“And you brought me back, so I don’t see what’s the big deal!” Kenma said and Daichi raised a hand to stop Kuroo’s response. They all knew that those two could bicker for hours on end.

“Alright, let’s calm down now.” Daichi said to all of them. “How are you doing Kenma, sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, just need a nap.” Kenma said, Kuroo scoffed and mumbled something about not taking a nap anytime soon.

“Yeah Kilo! Kiki just needs a nap!” Oikawa said with a smirk and Kenma looked at him with a disgusted face.

“Well… at least I’m not Oscar.” Kenma said after a moment and Oikawa squawked outraged. Everyone burst out laughing and the air was cleared between them.

Daichi shocked his head and looked around their group to make sure no one was in imminent danger, happy that the mood was lighter again. He then looked at Bokuto. “How are things back there? Got the prisoners?”

“Yeah, all good.” the alpha answered. “Got Kageyama to take the guy back to camp as you said, I knocked him out first so he doesn’t make trouble. Kyoutani is going too, since he came back with the one he was chasing before. The medical team took the one that was shot on the leg, apparently he will be fine. Oh! The girl passed out, so they took her back too.”

“Good.” Daichi sighed and looked at his mate. “Suga, do you think you can tell what happened back there?”

“Yeah, I think I know.” the omega said and lowered the ice bag. “Girl freaked when she saw the other get shot. She probably can’t control her abilities, so just like back at the house she snapped and her power sent a mental blow all around her.”

“But that wasn’t the same.” Oikawa said, a hand on Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “Iwa-chan wasn’t this affected last time, and now I didn’t feel the attack in my brain, only a physical force pushing me back.”

Sugawara sighed and looked at Kenma and then at Iwaizumi. “Yeah, I think that was because we had our minds connected at the time the blow hit, so it kind of conducted most of it to us. You guys were hit by some kind of impact wave, but the full force of the attack came to us.”

Oikawa and Kuroo cursed at the same time, Daichi pinched between his eyes and sighed.

“How did you guys manage to connect your minds anyway?” Bokuto asked, confused.

“That’s…” Sugawara trailed off. “I don’t know much either, but that’s a really dangerous thing to talk about in the open.” he completed in a lower tone.

“Suga’s right, let’s talk about that when we are safe at the base.” Daichi said. “And this stays between us for now, don’t want any mention of it until we dispatch the sentinels that are moving to other squads. Now get in the back, let’s go back to camp.”

They all nodded and moved to wrap everything and go. Bokuto went to the cabin with Daichi so Suga could relax in the back with the others. Kuroo hopped inside and seated with Kenma in his lap, holding him close while his mate closed his eyes and rested in the crock of his neck.

Iwaizumi got himself comfortable and Oikawa came to sit beside him, passing an arm behind his back and pulling him closer to his side.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Oikawa asked.

Iwaizumi wanted to snap and tell the other to stop babying, but he also knew how worried Oikawa must be right now. He felt the same countless times when Tooru would have an overflow of senses, and since this damn mission just threw everyone out of mind, he could not actually blame the other.

“Yeah Tooru, I’m fine now.” he said and allowed himself to lay against Oikawa’s side. “I promise.”

____________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey, Hey! How is everyone doing?
> 
> This chapter probably left you guys with more questions than answers, but that's what I was aiming for! Muahaha!!  
> Any theories? I live for them!
> 
> Today we don't have a fanart because my sister is busy with online classes so I didn't bug her into doing it for me, but you can see the previous ones on the notes bellow! Thank you again for TH_LuckyStar and CheCheCheer for doing them!
> 
> Oh, another thing. I was talking to a friend about comments and stuff and she told me that many people gets shy and end up not talking to authors. I can understand that, I only talk online because no one needs to know me! Here I'm just Nicky, and that's Okay! So if any of you have questions about this story but is too shy to ask, I enabled the option to receive annonimous asks on Tumblr, so be free to talk to me!   
> Also, don't need to fear if your english is not so good for writing, I'm not an english native myself, so I understand. You can use your own language as well, I'll just may need to use Google Translate, tho.
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! See you all next week! Be safe!


	12. Just Keep Wishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I said grenade, not rocket launcher!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning!
> 
> Do you remember when I said Chapter 7 was my favorite? Well, this one is a close second! I didn't mention it before because I wanted to surprise you people!  
> Buckle up and enjoy the ride, things are about to get interesting.
> 
> Mentions of shooting and violence.

November 12th - 7:30 am - Sentinel’s Camp

Keiji woke up with a warm sun in his face and the chirp of a bird nearby. He blinked his eyes and stretched his arms and legs, feeling amazingly well rested, like he never thought was possible. He was feeling good, had no nightmares and felt like he could run a marathon if he wanted to. 

He did not know where this good mood was coming from, but he was not going to question it. He sat up in his sleeping bag and look around, surprisingly seeing the camp in full breakfast mode already, with omegas walking all around carrying things, making food and cleaning places. He frowned his eyebrows trying to understand how he could sleep through all the noise that he was now fully aware of, even if he and Yahaba were sleeping a little far from the others, they should be awake already.

“Morning sleeping bastard.” Yahaba grumbled by his side, “Good to know you’re finally back to the living side.”

“Good morning.” Keiji looked to his friend who was still lying inside his own bag with eyes closed. “Did I wake you up?”

“I've been awake since break of dawn when those assholes began to move. Couldn’t sleep since.” Yahaba grumbled again. “But you were snoring so peacefully that I didn’t care to get up. Anyway, I thought that we could wait for Sugawara to come tell us the morning chores.”

“But he didn’t come?” Keiji asked. That was strange, since the silver-haired omega had come to wake them up before. He looked around the camp but saw no sign of the omega, or even Kenma, for that matter.

“Obviously he didn’t.” Yahaba said while sitting up, “I just don’t know how you could sleep through all their ruckus. These omegas weren’t trying to be quiet, you know.”

Keiji was about to say more when a pissed off voice came to them. “Oh good, look who finally decided to get up, the guests of honor, apparently.” The phrase was clearly full of sarcasm and dripping venom with every word.

Keiji scowled and looked to the source of the voice, seeing one of the omegas from yesterday and others looking irritated at them. They did not attack them again after Bokuto came to the rescue the day before, but that somehow only pissed them off even more. Now they just stare and scowl from afar, using every opportunity for sarcastic comments and mumbled insults.

Keiji decided to ignore, taking Kenma’s advice that they would be gone from the squad soon, so it will be better to leave it at that. That and the fact that he and Yahaba were also planning to leave as soon as possible.

“Breakfast is only for those who work, that’s the rules.” someone else said with a hard tone as well, but Keiji didn’t care to identify this other omega. 

“Yeah, like we never passed without breakfast before.” Yahaba scoffed loud enough for everyone to hear and laid back down, arms behind his head like a pillow as if he truly was enjoying a vacation. He faced the light blue sky and hummed a song without a care in the world.

The omegas watching grumbled and growled low before walking away to their chores again, some looking really pissed now.

“You shouldn't antagonize them further.” Keiji said. “They may try to kill us in our sleep.

“I doubt it.” Yahaba sighed, “These idiots are cowards. They prefer to hate us than the whole system they’re a part of.”

“Maybe they just don’t know another way to be.” Keiji mumbled while looking at the sky in thought.

“Maybe.” Yahaba said. “But that’s neither our fault nor problem. We just need to come up with a good plan to escape.”

They remained in silence for a while, enjoying the surprisingly beautiful morning, maybe one of the last sunny mornings before the coming winter.

“Don’t you think we should go look for Sugawara-san?” Keiji said after a while.

Yahaba sighed. “Don’t wanna… he’s going to give us chores.”

“Yeah, but maybe that’s for the best. Let’s do it before a random alpha comes and catch us lazing around.

Yahaba grumbled some more but stood up anyway. They both folded their sleeping bags and hid it near the trees. Old habits are difficult to let go, apparently.

“He might have just overslept after last night's mission.” Yahaba said while walking by his side.

“Maybe.” Keiji said slowly. “Just doesn’t seem like him, though.”

“Yeah…” Yahaba said and swirled around to grab a bucket filled with cleaning supplies from the ground when they passed beside the center of the omega’s camp. “Let’s just make ourselves useful and pretend to be on our way to clean something, shall we?”

Keiji snorted at his friend triumphantly showing off stolen supplies. He picked up a broom and a rag that were also lying around.

“So, front of the convoy, I guess?” Keiji asked with a smirk.

“Front of the convoy it is!” Yahaba smirked back as they both walked away.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

November 12th - 8:20 am - Tokyo’s Sector C

“WOW! I think I just heard someone sneezing now! Where do you think it came from?” Lev asked him in wonder, straightening his neck to look around them.

“You tell me. I’m not the one developing an enhanced hearing right now.” Yaku scoffed. He knew exactly where the sneeze came from, since he was connected to the alpha’s mind when it happened, but the other needed to realize the direction by himself.

This was basically his third ‘meeting’ with the alpha and he was surprised how fast things were going now. After their first encounter, Lev came back the night before and ‘trained’ together until after midnight, when the alpha was called to report back to the gate. Yaku then went to sleep to rest his mind, since all this ordeal was creating a perpetual headache, and he was surprised to see the alpha back when he woke up in the early morning.

Lev was, in a way, learning fast. Yaku noticed that he could already hear things from great distances, but the alpha not always noticed it himself, thinking that things were just normal and near. So he was skilled, but more in an instinctive way than a rational one.

That was good and bad all along somehow. Good because the alpha seemed dumb enough to not realize what Yaku was doing. But bad because in order to become a sentinel, he would need to know how to use his abilities by himself, not only with Yaku pulling the strings inside his head.

“Huum… I don’t know!” Lev whined like a child and Yaku just rolled his eyes. “There are noises everywhere now! I think I’m getting a headache.” he finished while scratching his head dejected.

Yaku sighed and pinched between his eyes. “Look, I know what you’re feeling. But you need to get through that to become a sentinel. That’s what you want, right?”

“Yeah! It is!” Lev beamed, headache somehow forgotten in an instant. “I didn’t think I could do it before, but since you said I can, now I want it Yaku-san!”

Yaku looked at the alpha and tried to ignore the somersault his heart suddenly did inside his chest.

_Oh! I noticed that!_

_Not now, Mom!_

Yaku looked away from the alpha to hide the blush that came to his cheeks. He could feel Lev getting confused and detached their minds in a hurry.

“I think this is enough for now.” Yaku said after recomposing himself. “I don’t want you to have a headache through all your shift today.”

“Oh, my shift is almost over!” Lev said excited. “I get out at 8:30am and go have breakfast before going home to rest, since I have to come back by nightfall again.”

At the mention of breakfast, Yaku’s stomach grumbled loudly. Last time he really ate something was back at the elder’s house when he got Yachi there. The past two days he just found a can of tomato sauce in an alley, which he ate while praying for it not to be too expired.

Yaku looked to the side, hoping that the alpha had not heard his stomach betraying him.

“Oh! Are you hungry, Yaku-san?” And of course, he heard it. “Are you going for breakfast too?”

Yaku scoffed before managing to control himself. “Yeah, sure. Something like that.”

“What do you mean?” Lev tilted his head confused.

Yaku sighed, not really understanding why he was about to overshare his situation. Well, he could just erase the alpha’s mind anyway.

“I don’t think you noticed, but there’s not so much food around here.”

“Oh.” Lev said. “Not even back at home? With your family?”

Another pang hit his heart. “My family’s not here right now.” Yaku said. “They’re in Sector A with the sentinels. I think they are going to become guides, or something.”

_Now you are sharing too much! What the Hell Morisuke!_

“Oh!-” Lev started to say something else when an angry voice came through the radio.

_“Officer Haiba! Are you planning on double shift today!? Report to the gate immediately!”_

“Yes Sir! Sorry Sir!” Lev said into the radio and shot up from the place he was seated on the ground. “I’m sorry Yaku-san, but I have to go now!”

“No problem, good work today.” Yaku managed a small smile. “Will I see you again tonight?”

“Yeah! I’ll be here!” Lev beamed at him before the voice on the radio barked the order again.

Yaku watched the alpha walk away while he sent the same order to the man’s brain. Forget about this and come back tonight. Then he turned away himself and began to walk to the sea of buildings in the sector.

_Well, let’s see if I can find something to call breakfast._

_\--------------------------------------------------------------------_

November 12th - 11:15 am - Sentinel’s Camp

“What do you mean by that!?” Bokuto saw Oikawa asking in a pissed off manner while fisting the table in the center of the command tent, making a ‘crack’ sound that showed that he didn’t control his force too well.

Daichi looked sternly at the brunette from the other side of the table. “I meant just what I said, stop throwing a tantrum.”

“I am not throwing a tantrum, I am pissed!” Oikawa said, “I can’t believe last night wasn’t enough! What else command wants us to do around here!?”

“I agree with him on this one.” Kuroo said by Bokuto’s side, the raven alpha was as mad as Oikawa. “We did the job, caught the guys and no one died. What else do they want us to do?”

“Do you think I don’t know that!?” Now it was Daichi who snapped at the other two. “Plan was perfect until it wasn’t! Who do you think command is gonna blame for that!?”

“Hum, guys…” Bokuto tried to speak, “maybe we should calm down a little.”

“I don’t care about who will take the blame!” Oikawa shouted, “Hajime couldn't even speak clearly with the sudden killing headache he had last night when we came back! I’m not letting him stay another day in this stupid camp!”

“Oh, so you think _Iwa-chan_ is the one needing a better bed!?” Kuroo snapped at the other, “I had to tiptoe my way around after midnight just to be able to sneak Kenma back to my tent since he didn’t want people to think he didn’t come back to the omega’s side after the mission. Now he is there sleeping like the dead, not even the smell of coffee woke him up!”

“Kenma always sleeps like the dead. Hajime is the one that should be awake by now!” Oikawa snapped and Kuroo charged to get him by the front of his uniform, Bokuto saw it and jumped between both of them.

“That’s enough!” Daichi growled at them, “If you want to fight like high school girls you do it outside! I don’t have time to deal with you right now. I still have to make sure the other omegas are keeping the chores done before lunch so the sentinels won’t miss Suga’s presence.”

Bokuto managed to push Kuroo and Oikawa to opposite sides of the tent before speaking to Daichi. “Suga’s not up yet?”

“No, and I don’t like it. He did not respond even when I tried to reach out through the bond. This is not like him, so I took him to the medical truck a little before dawn”

“So let’s just take our mates to a hospital! For crying out loud!” Kuroo said while pulling his hair with his hands.

“You know damn well there’s no omega hospital here! How am I supposed to just summon one out of thin air!?” Daichi barked.

“No, but a sentinel base has more medical equipment to help them all, if only our captain would have the bones to get our squad there!” Oikawa growled and Daichi lunged for him in a heartbeat.

Bokuto’s instinct flared up and in an instant he was between them both. He swirled Oikawa around by the back of his uniform and threw him to the ground, then seconds later he had a kick sending Daichi to fall to the other side. He also looked up in time to growl at Kuroo who was already charging up to join the fight, fangs in full display and eyes that told the raven alpha to not take another step.

“Enough! All of you!” Bokuto growled. “This bullshit won’t help anyone! You all seem to forget that Keiji was in a coma for almost two days and no one let me get him to a hospital! Now you’ll have to suck it up and find another way to help your mates!”

Asahi chose this moment to enter the command tent, eyes scanning the place with a frown. “I knew this situation wouldn’t be ideal, but I didn’t think Bokuto would be the most reasonable one right now.”

“Man! What is that supposed to mean?” Bokuto whined like a child, all the dominance suddenly gone.

Kuroo and Oikawa snorted together before looking with apologetic eyes at each other. The raven extended a hand and Oikawa took it to get out the ground. Daichi sighed somehow calmer and walked toward Asahi.

“How’s Suga doing?” he asked the doctor.

“He seems to just be asleep, nothing physically wrong at least.” Asahi said after fully entering the tent. “And I went to the other two tents, Iwaizumi and Kenma look the same. Just sleeping.”

“This is not just sleep.” Oikawa said while pitching between his eyes in frustration. “Hajime’s totally out. And he never pass out like that!”

“Suga never woke up late since he presented. He never missed his morning chores.” Daichi said, concerned.

“Guys, come on.” Bokuto tried to lift the mood. “It’s not even noon, maybe they’re just tired.”

“No, it is more than that.” Kuroo said while passing around. “Kenma only sleeps in when we’re at the base, and just when there’s only our close pack around. He doesn’t like to ease his guard during road missions.” he sighed, “That telepathic link might have messed with something.

“Or the telepathic blow that woman threw at them.” Oikawa murmured while nodding in thought.

Daichi sighed. “How are they, by the way? The prisoners.” he asked the doctor.

“All alive, but the woman is who I’m more concerned about.” Asahi said. “The older one is barking insults since he woke up, the younger that got shot is passed out because of the painkillers I gave him. But the woman is seated in a corner of the truck mumbling to herself unresponsive. Didn’t eat or drink since waking up. Are you sure we cannot get them to the base?”

“Positive, command said there might be people looking for them, so they want us to stay here in case someone attempts a rescue.” Daichi sighed and walked back to the table where his new orders were placed.

“So they just want us to stay here as bait to get more prisoners?” Oikawa asked frustrated.

“Pretty much that, yeah.” Daichi sighed.

Kuroo mumbled a bunch of curses and walked to the edge of the tent with his hands on his hip.

“For how long?” Asahi asked.

“Don’t know. The order just says that no one leaves camp until more instructions.” Daichi said, “They are probably analyzing the report and footage I sent last night.”

“You sent the footage?” Kuroo asked, startled.

“Had to, they asked for it.” Daichi nodded. “But I looked at it before sending. Neither Iwaizumi nor Kenma mentioned the telepathic link between then out-loud, so the feed on your uniforms didn’t catch it. They don’t have anything about what the three of them were doing.”

Then a commotion started outside suddenly and they went out to see. A sentinel came to them and saluted Daichi.

“Sir, the woman started to scream something and now the sentinels that were guarding her are getting sick. Some of them are throwing up while others are bleeding through noses and ears.”

“What the hell.” Asahi said and jogged toward the commotion, calling out for someone to get his nurses.

Oikawa and Kuroo both murmured their mate’s names and ran away toward their own tents, while Daichi ran after Asahi. Bokuto was about to follow when something caught his attention behind the command tent.

“Cooo!” came the little sound and he looked at a tree a little far from the tent. There stood the little owl again, the same one he saw last time inside Sector C when he found Keiji.

A bright smile came to his face, and it was as if everything was suddenly perfect. He was about to go talk to the bird when the little creature _cooed_ again and kind of pointed one wing down to the ground. Toward the back of the command tent, to be more specifically.

So obviously, he went to take a look.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keiji and Yahaba have been walking around the whole camp for a hile now, and they could not stop thinking that something was definitely wrong. First of all, they hadn’t seen Sugawara all day, not even Kenma, for that matter. Bokuto was also MIA, which somehow made Keiji’s heart hurt a little.

Second, the alpha sentinels were also on edge. Some of them were lying around, but most were keeping guard in big tents that the omegas learned were holding prisoners from last night’s mission. Apparently, one of the trucks was also being used for that, but since the number of guards was bigger there, they decided to not get closer.

“Why do you think they have so many prisoners?” Yahaba asked sometime during the morning.

“I don’t know. But I don’t believe there’s more than two or three people inside that one.” Keiji said while pointing to one of the tents being guarded. “There’s more in the other one, though.”

“How can you tell?”

“I don’t know, it’s just a feeling.” Keiji shrugged.

Yahaba had hummed but let it go. They continued to walk around, sometimes pretending to be swapping the fallen leaves or cleaning grease stains in the trucks when some alphas would look at them suspiciously. But overall they were left alone, surprisingly.

“Something is definitely wrong.” Yahaba said sometime before 11am. “Do you think we could flee now? Maybe they won’t miss us anytime soon.”

“And go where?” Keiji asked in a whisper. “We have no idea where we are right now, plus we don't have enough food stored for the road, and the only clothes we have are the omega uniforms we’re using. People will see us as fugitives at first glance.”

“I think we can steal some clothes from the supply truck we passed by earlier, and maybe some bread too. We survived longer with less before.” Yahaba said back. “And about our location, maybe the command tent has some kind of map. I think I still know how to read one.”

“You want to sneak inside the command tent!?” Keiji shout-whispered.

“Well, yeah. Got any better idea?” Yahaba raised his eyebrow.

“No but…” Keiji trailed off, “but I think we have to be extremely careful with this. They may shoot us at the spot.”

“Doubt it. We can always say we’re cleaning or something.” Yahaba said. “Come on, let’s get there before Owl-boy decides to show.”

Keiji could only follow his friend that started to walk away without another word. Yahaba was confident, but Keiji felt like it was not exactly the right time to try another escape.

His worries were almost proved right immediately when they were approaching the area with the big command tent. They decided to walk from the outside of the camp, using the cover from the tree line to cover their movement, but suddenly Keiji felt an approaching presence and dove to the ground pulling Yahaba with him.

Not even a minute later a sentinel in patrol appeared in their field of vision through a small bush they were hidden behind. The alpha cleared knew they were around, because he started walking toward them with a determined frown, gun in hand and ready.

Yahaba tried to shield Keiji somehow, but the raven clutched at his friend’s shoulder and told him to not move. Instincts must have taken over and Keiji started to mentally ask the sentinel to not see them.

He may never know how it could actually work, but the fact is that the alpha stood right in front of them, looked in their direction, locked eyes with them… then looked around confused, like looking for something he just missed. He then walked away to resume his patrol route.

The omegas remained seated on the ground looking wide-eyed to the retreating alpha, holding every inch of breath possible.

“What-the-hell…” Yahaba whispered after a couple minutes. He then looked at Keiji. “What the hell did you just do!?”

“I… I have no idea.” Keiji whispered back. “I just wished for him to not see us.”

“Do you think you can keep that up?” Yahaba asked. “Like, hiding our presence from others?”

“I have no idea Shigeru!” Keiji said exasperated, “We cannot trust it will work every time.”

“No, but we can try! Come on!” Yahaba said and jumped to his feet to go for the command tent. “Come on Keiji, start wishing!” he called from over his shoulder.

“Wait!” Keiji said but ran after.

They slowed down when they got behind the command tent. The voices from inside showed that there were people there, so they crouched down to hopefully be out of sight.

“You do realize they all have enhanced senses, right?” Keiji deadpanned to his friend. “You’re going to get us killed this way.”

“Are you wishing?” Yahaba smirked. “They can’t notice us if you keep wishing!”

Keiji sighed and pinched between his eyes. “You cannot be serious right now.”

“Shhh! I want to hear what they’re saying!” Yahaba shushed him.

They remained silent and noticed that there was definitely a discussion happening inside, with the loud and angry voices and all, but they could not exactly understand the reason from this distance.

“Dammit, I can’t hear a thing from here!” Yahaba cursed before throwing himself on the ground to move toward the back of the tent. “Let’s get closer!”

“What!?” Keiji shout-whispered. “Shigeru! Get back here!”

“Just keep wishing Keiji!” his friend mumbled while crawling his way out of their cover by the trees. Keiji followed him mumbling a bunch of curses that would make Yaku mad and Hana-baa-chan proud.

He caught up to Yahaba right by the side of the tent, looking at his friend with a murderous glance while the other just smirked at him.

_Please don’t notice our presence! Please don’t notice our presence! Please don’t notice our presence! Please don’t notice our presence!_

They could definitely hear the fight going on inside now, and somehow none of the alphas seemed to notice them out there. Suddenly they heard a powerful and angry growl being followed by Bokuto’s voice, apparently succeeded in stopping the fight. A minute later, they heard doctor Asahi’s voice when he arrived at the tent.

Keiji focused on the alpha’s talk, but somehow managed to continue the chanting for them to not be noticed in the back of his head. Later he would marvel at how ease it actually was, which only concerned him deeply. But now he was focused on the conversation at hand.

They learned that the squad got orders to stay put, that there were at least one woman among the prisoners, but above all, they learned that Sugawara and Kenma, and apparently someone called Iwaizumi, had not woken up after last night’s mission. Keiji recognized the last name to be the one Yahaba told him about the other day, if he remembers correctly, from the alpha that apologized to Yahaba about being in the Hunt.

_Why wouldn’t they wake up? Are they okay?_ Keiji thought inside his head.

“Don’t know! Keep quiet!” Yahaba scolded him in a whispered tone and Keiji blinked at his friend, not having said a word aloud.

A noise from afar got their attention and the talking inside the tent ended, just to happen now on the outside, when a sentinel came to inform something about the woman being held in the truck. Keiji suppressed a groan when something made his head ache a little and Yahaba looked at him concerned.

They waited to hear the alphas running away to deal with whatever was going on, making sure they were alone before speaking again.

“Hell, things seems to be getting complicated somehow.” Yahaba sighed and looked toward Keiji. “Hey bud, you okay?”

“Peachy.” Keiji said sarcastically. “Can we go now?”

“Sure, let me just sneak inside to look for a map. You can keep watch outside.”

“Are you still up with this? Can’t you see things are getting complicated right now?”

“For them, not us!” Yahaba scowled at Keiji. “Let’s use this ruckus as a distraction. They won’t look for us for a while now. We’re clear to go.”

“What if they caught us stealing things?” Keiji said in frustration. “There’s a bunch of armed sentinels running around right now!”

“Keiji! You just need to keep wish-”

“Shigeru, I swear that if you tell me to wish one more time, I’ll-”

“What you guys wishing about?” came the sudden voice by Yahaba’s side.

“AAAAHHH!!!” Keiji and Yahaba screamed and jumped so hard that they rolled away a little. Yahaba ended up on top of Keiji’s stomach, stealing all of the raven’s air.

Bokuto was crouched on the ground, looking at them confused.

“Hey, what you both doing here?” the alpha asked.

“BOKUTO!” Yahaba screeched and sat down after getting out of Keiji. “Well, you see… We were looking for you, man!”

Bokuto tilted his head to the side in confusion, eyes analyzing the two omegas. Keiji sighed still on the ground, lying on his back and facing the sky. There was a dark cloud there that sent an odd feeling to his guts, something was definitely wrong.

“Hey, you’re alright Keiji?” Bokuto asked and Keiji closed his eyes for a moment to deal with his head before taking a deep breath to respond.

“I’m fine Bokuto-san, thank you.” Keiji said and sat up slowly. “Yahaba-san just almost killed me with his elbows right now, that’s all.”

Yahaba looked apologetic in his direction and Keiji just deadpanned as an answer.

“Oh, okay!” Bokuto smiled as if life was a bunch of rainbows and butterflies, clearly ignoring the growing noise that kind of signalized that the situation with the prisoners was escalating. “Why were you guys looking for me, though?” he asked.

“Well…” Yahaba trailed off and looked toward Keiji asking for help. Keiji smirked inside to his friend and his not so good lying skills. “Keiji kind of... woke up with... an odd feeling?”

Bokuto frowned concerned. “What do you mean?”

Keiji sighed and decided that Yahaba had suffered enough, it was also their life at stake right now.

“I woke up feeling like something might be wrong, and when we couldn’t find Sugawara-san anywhere, well…” he trailed off, “we thought that… I thought that… maybe something might have happened last night, you know… during the mission.”

Bokuto’s smile grew impossibly large, eyes shining like the sun.

“You were worried about us!?” he asked in a too happy voice and Keiji blinked at him.

Yahaba scoffed. “Hey now, just don’t get too ahead of yourself. Focus now Owl-dude!”

“Oh right!” Bokuto visibly blushed and scratched his head while looking to the side. He seemed to suddenly look toward a tall tree and frowned as if something was not there anymore.

“So, that was it!” Yahaba pulled them back to the conversation. “Keiji had an odd feeling, we couldn’t find Sugawara, so we came to look for you!”

“Oh, oh right!” Bokuto said, happy again. “You can come to me for anything!” he fisted the air in a victory cry. “But why were you behind the command tent, though?”

“Oh that… we, huh… we hid here, you know, when the noise started out there!” Yahaba finished triumphantly.

“Oh yeah, shit! I was meant to go see if anyone needed my help!” Bokuto said and jumped to his feet.

“Heh, don’t let us stop you, then!” Yahaba said, also standing. “We’re good now! We can go back on our own!”

“EEhh!? But you guys just got here!” Bokuto squeaked. “Oh, I know, come back to my tent!”

“Dude, what have I just told you about getting ahead of yourself!?” Yahaba said and slapped Bokuto’s arm.

The alpha’s face got incredible red and he stumbled with his words. “No! That’s not… that’s not what I meant at all! Kuroo’s there too! And Kenma!” he shakes his arms in the air like trying to explain his point. “You can just wait for me there while I go see if Daichi needs me for something! And so we can… hang out, later…” he trailed off dejected.

Yahaba could not hide his amusement and Keiji sighed again, tuning them both out. He saw how his friend could not exactly be mean to the alpha, and he knew that he was enjoying this teasing a little too much for someone that was planning an escape. He looked toward the tree line and suddenly an urgent feeling made him shoot to his feet in panic, breathing hard and unsteady.

“Keiji?” Yahaba turned to him concerned, his bicker with Bokuto forgotten. “Hey, are you okay?” he touched his arm and Keiji clutched at his hand in fear. “Oh now, what’s wrong?”

Bokuto approached them, hands fidgeting to touch Keiji as well, but relenting from doing so.

“I can…” Keiji tried to say but took another deep breath. “I can feel something. It’s coming.”

“What is coming?” Bokuto asked in a serious tone, his head turned toward the trees Keiji was facing. “Talk to me Keiji, what’s the threat?”

“I don’t know, it’s… anger and, rage?” Keiji trailed off. “It’s bloodlust, coming here. Fast!”

Yahaba looked concerned and Bokuto nodded sternly. They got quiet for a moment while the alpha projected his senses to try pinpointing whatever sent the omega in distress. Suddenly his eyes got wide and he cursed under his breath.

“What!?” Yahaba asked loud to the alpha.

“I hear engine approaching, and things are getting louder with the prisoners!” Bokuto said, turning close to the omegas. “Come on, I left my gun in my tent… shit, my radio is there too!”

“Ok, so we can go back to the other omegas, we’ll see you later…” Yahaba started but Bokuto screamed suddenly.

“NO!” the omegas jumped and took a step back. “Shit, I’m sorry! I won’t yell, but I need you guys with me, this is serious.” Bokuto said urgently, and not even two seconds later the sound of a motorcycle entering the perimeter roared around, followed by gunshots.

Bokuto jumped and threw both omegas to the ground, shielding them with his body and looking around in full soldier mode.

“What the hell’s happening!?” Yahaba screamed.

“We’re under attack!” Bokuto said and got up slowly. “They're probably after the prisoners, come on, I need to get to my tent, keep your heads down and follow me!”

The omegas did not try to argue anymore. Luckly they were far from the center of the camp where a bunch of people in black clothes and masks were running around in motorcycles, bullets flowing everywhere. They heard screaming and orders being shouted, but Bokuto urged them to run with him, hands on their heads as a shield.

They approached the sentinels tent and Bokuto threw them all inside of one, the other alpha, Kuroo, was inside already about to step out, a big gun in his hands.

“Bokuto!” The hell were you!? What’s going on!?” 

“A bunch of motorcycles dudes just entered camp!” Bokuto said while trusting Keiji and Yahaba to the ground. “Stay down and cover your heads!” he said to them before turning back to the other alpha. “You got the assault rifle? Where’s the submach!?” he asked while throwing a bunch of pillows and candy wraps around.

“Inside the red box, you idiot!” Kuroo said from his place on the tent entrance. He shot at something before turning back inside. “Do you really think I would let you sleep with a submachine gun under your pillow, stupid owl!”

“Got it!” Bokuto yelled victorious and joined the other, laying down to the ground and peeking outside. “Where are the others?”

“Oikawa’s at his tent with Iwaizumi. Dude’s still out, they might need backup soon.” Kuroo answered.

Bokuto looked around and shot toward a motorcycle that got close to them. “Think we should get to them while these guys are focused somewhere else?”

The raven alpha looked inside his tent to a bundle of blankets. “Maybe…” he said in a sad tone looking back outside. “It will be too dangerous to go for the rest of the squad with those two unconscious. And I’ll definitely carry Ken faster than Trash King can carry Hajime.”

Keiji had followed Kuroo’s eyes to the bundle of blankets, something calling for him to look at it, but another sound of gunshot near the tent made him glue himself to the ground near Yahaba.

“Dammit!” his friend mumbled. “Now we’re totally screwed!”

A static sound came from the radio Kuroo had on his belt and their attention moved to it. A voice came clear a couple of seconds later.

_“Hey bunch of idiots, does anyone copy?”_

Kuroo touched the radio and quickly held his gun in place again. “What’s up Trash? Kilo and Bravo here!”

_“First, screw you! Second, I need back up! I think they’re closing in on the tents. Where are you guys?”_

“We are at our tent, what can you see from yours?” Kuroo asked.

 _“I saw that most of the bikers went for the trucks and some to the prisoners' tents. Delta spoke on line 1 that they could hang the ground for now, but I don’t think they can come to our aid.”_ His voice stopped and they could hear the sound of shooting before he came back. _“But now I can hear more shots coming from the trees, they might have people on foot ready to enter as well.”_

“Shit, where did they all come from, and why no one sounded the alarm?” Bokuto said before shooting and sending a biker to the ground. “Weren’t there anyone patrolling the borders!?”

“My point exactly!” Kuroo said. “Do you think you can come to us, Oscar? We’re beside Tango’s tent.”

 _“Sorry, don’t think I can do it. Hajime’s not up yet, and there are bikes circling us.”_ More shots in the background. _“I think I can cover the way for you, though.”_

“Kuroo…” Bokuto said while pointing outside and toward the edge of the camp by the trees, Keiji could not see what it was, but Kuroo’s eyes widened and he cursed before hanging his gun through his torso and entering the tent.

“We have to move, Now!” he said and went for the blankets, pushing some aside and picking up a sleeping body wrapped with one last blanket. Keiji and Yahaba gasped at the sight of a sleeping Kenma when the alpha raised him in his arms.

“Bo, cover the way!” Kuroo said and then looked at the omegas. “You two will follow after me, fast and steady, don’t fall behind and don’t look to the side, just run the best you can after me, got it?”

They nodded and prepared themselves for the run. Bokuto looked back inside and smiled at them.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you! Just keep your heads down and follow Kuroo!” he said in a happy voice that Keiji could not help but be reassured by.

“Oscar, we’re ready to move!” Kuroo said.

 _“Alright, on my signal…”_ they waited while more gunshots sounded in the background. _“Now!”_

Kuroo moved instantly, hugging Kenma close and running in front of them. Keiji and Yahaba followed, feeling Bokuto behind them shooting something in the distance. They surprisingly managed to keep up with the raven alpha, taking only a few seconds to pass one tent in the way and then reaching another. They saw a brunette man standing by the side of the entrance and passed running after Kuroo.

They collapsed inside and saw another person laid down among blankets. Kuroo laid Kenma down with a sad expression and went back outside, gun back in his hands. The alphas set themselves around the tent to cover each other's backs while the shooting resumed.

“There’s more coming from the trees! Where the hell is Daichi!?” Kuroo asked.

“Put the radio in line 1 and try to contact him!” the brunette answered before looking inside with a dashing smile. “Hello! My name is Oikawa, you must be the famous Keiji! Welcome to our time of dying!”

“Shut up Oikawa! Don’t scare him!” Bokuto squeaked to the other. “Don’t listen to him Keiji! Everything’s under control!”

Shots passed through the top of the tent and the omegas covered their heads on the ground.

“Yeah, I can see everything is peachy!” Yahaba mumbled. “Can’t believe I survived the Hunt to die in a Sentinel’s camp! Yay, go Me.” he deadpanned.

“Don’t say that!” Bokuto’s voice came from outside the tent. “I’m not dying before taking Keiji on a first date!”

A silence was made and Oikawa looked toward Bokuto. “Dude… you do realize he can hear you, right?”

Another silent second passed before Bokuto screeched in terror. A heavy embarrassed scent filled the air before Oikawa and Kuroo cracked into a fit of laughter. Yahaba sighed and looked toward his friend with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you blushing on me right now, you bastard?” Yahaba asked.

“Shut up, Yahaba-san.” Keiji murmured while looking away to the side. He could see how not well things were right now, and it was not just the shooting on top of their heads that was proving it. Something was calling, and he could sense it in the back of his mind, like a whisper inside a dream. However, it was strange, because the calling was not directed to him.

He looked to the side and saw the two sleeping figures, both looking peaceful as if nothing was happening around them. He felt the need to touch them, to ask why they were sleeping, to search for whoever they were calling for.

Keiji got so entranced by these feelings that he did not pay attention to the conversation when Kuroo finally managed to contact the squad’s captain on the radio. He could hear the talk, just not pinpoint the meaning at all.

“Captain! Kilo, Bravo and Oscar here, holding position at tent number two.” Kuroo said while the other two managed to keep the attackers away for now.

 _“Copy that Kilo, wait for new instructions. Delta out.”_ Came the captain's voice.

Not even two seconds later Oikawa’s radio signalized someone had connected the line he was in.

_“Hey, are you guys alright?”_ the same voice asked.

“Why the need to use line 4?” Oikawa asked after opening the line and putting the radio on the ground so they all could hear while his own hands were free to handle his weapon.

 _“Because this whole situation is a mess and I’m not trusting anything right now.”_ the captain said. _“How are things on your end?”_

“We’re about to get surrounded anytime now.” Oikawa said, the serenity in his voice a clear contrast with the situation in hand.

_“Dammit! Can’t you come to the trucks? I’m holding position from the 6th to the back, these guys came for the prisoners, but I got the woman and the leader locked inside truck 7.”_

“Can’t move without backup.” Kuroo said before shooting to their left side. “Bravo can help Oscar carry India while I take Ken, but we need someone to cover our movement.”

 _“Shit! I can’t send help right now.”_ the captain said.

“What!?” Bokuto screeched, “Can’t you send a couple of guys to help us? Where the hell is everybody!?”

The response delayed a couple minutes while screams and shouting came through the line. _“I have some sentinels down from bullets, but part of the squad is out because of the firsts telepathic blows the woman sent before. And now there is something else taking us down, Asahi and I believe there is a new telepath with the attackers. More than half the squad was already affected.”_

They did not respond immediately, all of them swallowing dry.

_“I sent Kageyama to gather the omegas and I think Kyoutani was out there too. I can try to call them back to help you, but it will take a moment. There’s something pushing against us, it almost feels like a barrier.”_

“So we’re basically alone right now.” Kuroo whispered after a moment, his shadow projected on the side of the tent showed he was looking through the cloth toward his other half.

 _“Guys…”_ the captain trailed off. _“Just hang on for a moment. I’ll get to you, I promise.”_

A lump formed in their throats, Daichi was not supposed to sound so down.

“Don’t worry Cap!” Bokuto was the first to recover, his bright and happy voice sounding clear. “We’ll be fine! Focus on pushing these bastards away so we can get to you later!”

Kuroo and Oikawa smirked, a new light in their eyes.

_“Bokuto…”_ the captain trailed off. _“All right, I’ll see you guys later! Call again if things go south.”_

“The only south we’ll go is to the damn base!” Kuroo said.

“And Okinawa!” Oikawa added. “Man, I’m definitely taking Hajime to Okinawa next vacation!

They chuckled and the radio was turned off. Yahaba had been listening to them while Keiji seemed still in trance looking at the two asleep.

“So…” Yahaba said after more shots were fired, “When do we die?”

“No worries Yahaba! I meant what I said, no one’s dying today, not on my watch!” Bokuto said from outside. “And definitely not you and Keiji!”

“Hey you damn Owl! Don’t go turning your back on us!” Oikawa said while throwing a little rock at Bokuto’s head.

“Ouch! Come on, dude!” Bokuto cried. “I’m running out of ammo, do you have more in here?” he added.

“Yeah, sure.” Oikawa said and opened the cloth of the tent, sticking his head inside and looking toward Yahaba. “Hey there, can you pass me that orange box on the corner?”

“Yeah, sure, why not?” Yahaba mumbled and moved to get the box without standing up so that he won’t get a bullet in the head. “Not like I’m in the middle of another war zone right now.”

Oikawa snorted and took the box, passing it to Bokuto who shouted a _‘thanks’_. He then looked back inside the tent to offer a smart remark back to Yahaba when he noticed that Keiji had been looking at his boyfriend’s form for a while now. He then realized that the omega was mumbling something.

“Hey there, you okay?” Oikawa asked and Yahaba also looked toward the omega.

“Keiji? What's wrong?” he asked.

“What!? Keiji, is something wrong!?” Bokuto yelled. “Did you get hit!?” he was about to move inside when Kuroo shouted at him to remain in position as some bullets landed too close for comfort.

“He is calling…” they all heard Keiji mumbling, eyes glued at Iwaizumi and Kenma. “They are calling. Why don’t you answer?”

Oikawa blinked confused. “I… what do you mean? I couldn’t wake him up, he’s not hearing me.” he said and Keiji looked at him before turning back again.

“Who is Tooru?” Keiji asked suddenly.

Oikawa got a lump in his throat. “I am... I’m Oikawa Tooru.”

“You are not bonded physically.” Keiji said again in a small voice, like lost in a trance. “He regrets it… but he is afraid.” Oikawa blinked at him. “But the mental bond is still strong, it should be enough. Why is it not enough?” Keiji added.

“Oikawa, what’s going on?” Kuroo whispered from outside.

“I… I don’t know?” Oikawa answered.

“Keiji?” Yahaba said and lightly touched his friend's arm, but the other jumped immediately.

Keiji sat up with a start, not caring for the bullet that just passed and opened a hole through and out the top of the tent. Yahaba cursed and yelled for him to stay down, Bokuto doing the same immediately.

But he paid no mind. Something was urging him to get up, to approach the others and to touch them. He could hear them calling for names that were not his, but something seemed to be blocking the passage, cutting their connection with the ones they loved. Keiji did not like that. He was away from his family, he did not want anyone else to be the same.

_Tooru…_ said the small voice, clear and loud inside Keiji’s mind.

“He is right here! Let his call come through!” Keiji yelled frustrated at someone that he didn’t even know and grabbed at Iwaizumi’s wrist.

The alpha shot up instantly, eyes wide and focused, like he had never been sleeping in the first place. His eyes instantly locked with his boyfriend’s and he jumped toward the brunette, engulfing him in a fierce hug.

“Tooru!” Iwaizumi said, “Freaking hell, I’m back! God, I’m back!”

“Hajime! You’re awake, how is this possible? Why wouldn’t you wake up!?” Oikawa cried and looked at the other's face, kissing him hard, shooting be damned.

“What the hell?” Kuroo whispered and Bokuto blinked confused.

A new wave of shots landed near and they responded with a start, their cover almost not enough anymore. Iwaizumi reacted and lunged himself on the ground on top of Oikawa, covering the other’s head and looking around.

“Shit, I forgot we’re in the middle of a shooting right now.” Iwaizumi chuckled. He quickly grabbed the gun Oikawa had dropped and got in position beside Bokuto, the white-haired alpha blinking at him and then smirking knowingly. “Hey there, remind me of thanking your mate later.” Iwaizumi said, returning the smirk.

“Hajime, what the hell!” Oikawa screeched, “Get back to the tent, you’re not fine!”

“I’m all fired up now Tooru, we’re kicking these freaks asses! Get yourself another gun, this one’s my favorite!” said Iwaizumi.

“I know it is, that’s why I was using it.” Oikawa mumbled and opened the tent to get another gun, he stopped when he saw Yahaba looking wide-eyed while Keiji looked with glassy eyes at Kenma.

“His bond is strong, too strong, and full.” Keiji whispered. “But this is a level he cannot beat, he’s frustrated.”

“How the hell do you know what a level is? You never played anything.” Yahaba mumbled in a confused voice.

_Tetsu..._

“Who is Tetsu?” Keiji asked and a second later the side of the tent was being un-clipped and Kuroo’s head appeared, eyes wide and anxious.

Oikawa took the memo and got outside, taking Kuroo’s gun from him and assuming his position. The raven alpha entered the tent by its side and looked at Keiji, not trusting his own voice to make the tiniest sound.

Keiji saw Kuroo get close to him and looked back at Kenma. “He knows you’re here. This is not your fault.” and then he touched Kenma’s arm and the small omega jumped awake just like Iwaizumi had done before.

Kenma looked into Keiji’s face and then to his own mate, opening one of his rare smiles as Kuroo lunged himself to hug the omega. Kuroo’s body shaking but not a single sound was made, and Kenma’s hand began to make soothing patterns on his mate’s back.

“I’m alright now Tetsu, I promise.” the omega said. The alpha only held the other tighter.

Keiji blinked and his eyes began to focus again, his mind lighter but still somehow on edge. He laid on his stomach again beside Yahaba and looked to his friend.

“Dude, can you just, huh… stop wishing for a while?” Yahaba said wide-eyed. “You’re kind of freaking me out.”

“What do you mean-” Keiji started to ask but a massive sound of shooting came from the outside and they covered their heads with a start. Kuroo pushed Kenma to the ground and covered him with his body, a second later, Bokuto and Iwaizumi got inside too.

“These assholes have a freaking military machine gun! What the hell!” Bokuto said.

“We need to move, now!” Iwaizumi said.

 _“Kilo, do you copy?”_ the captain’s voice suddenly came from the radio. _“Some of the bikers are moving to your position. Did you guys do anything to grab their attention?”_

“I don’t know anything anymore.” Kuroo said into the radio before looking at Keiji. “Maybe we did?”

Keiji just blinked at him, he could now hear something else around, like a chanting in the air.

“Kuro, let’s move!” Kenma said suddenly. “We can leave from Oikawa’s side of the tent and circle the trees by the river’s side until the trucks!”

“What!? How the hell you know the way is clear there?” Kuroo asked.

“Believe us, it’s clear.” Iwaizumi said. “We just need to be fast before they realize what we’re doing.”

“Works for me!” Bokuto said.

“I’m not going to argue, nothing makes sense anymore.” Oikawa added from outside.

“Fine, let’s get on with this then.” Kuroo sighed. “Oikawa, lead the way, Bokuto and I will cover our backs. Iwa and Kenma, are you sure you can run right now?”

Kenma nodded with certainty and Iwaizumi cocked his gun. “Let’s do it.” the alpha said.

“Alright, on my mark.” Oikawa said before looking around. “Now!”

They piled outside the tent and ran down the slightly inclined terrain toward the trees and the river. Kuroo and Bokuto kept shooting to slow the attacker's movement toward their tent, and Iwaizumi covered the sides while urging the omegas to follow Oikawa.

Later Kuroo would question Kenma’s movements at the time, since the omega seemed to know exactly what to do, not only keeping up with Oikawa but also pairing up with him to show the direction they should follow by the side of the small river.

Keiji ran beside Yahaba while following the others, but he could hear a chanting from afar, feeling it deep in his bones. He did not know what was happening to him today, but the chanting kept flooding his mind and confusing him.

They managed to get farther from the shooting and hide in the trees, the first truck now visible, but to get to it they would need to cross the open space again.

“They are following us from behind, I think we can run to the trucks if we go now.” Kenma said, crouched by Oikawa’s side.

“And since when you’re the one suggesting to run?” the brunette alpha asked.

“Since our lives depends on it.” Kenma said.

“He’s right, we cannot stay here for long, we can cover the way long enough when the bikers come for us, let’s go for the second truck.” Iwaizumi said.

“Hey, you guys okay?” Bokuto asked while crouching down beside Keiji and Yahaba.

“I guess I’m still alive, so…” Yahaba scoffed.

“We are fine, thank you Bokuto-san.” Keiji said to the alpha.

“Are you sure Keiji? You seem a little off.” the alpha said.

“I am fine, it’s just this sound that’s bugging me.”

“What sound? The shooting?” Bokuto asked.

“No…” Keiji looked at him. “The chanting?”

Before Bokuto or Yahaba could ask about what chanting, they heard engine noises coming from behind them. Kuroo yelled for everyone to move and they ran to the open space at full speed.

Oikawa led again and Kenma ran after, Keiji and Yahaba followed while Iwaizumi was shooting to cover their side. But the closer they got to the trucks, the louder the chant got, and Keiji’s mind started to swirl around to locate the sound. He didn’t even notice his decreasing speed while he looked around the place.

Oikawa got to the first truck and turned around to cover the others coming after. A couple of seconds later Kenma got to his side, deep but steady breaths.

“What the hell…” Oikawa mumbled before shouting, “Don’t stop!”

“Keiji!” Kenma yelled too.

Yahaba heard the shouting and looked back to notice that Keiji was easing his run to a stop, he almost tripped himself trying to turn around to go grab his friend. “Keiji, run! Come on!”

Coming from behind them, the bikers were leaving the line of trees in pursuit. Iwaizumi noticed that Yahaba had just turned around and circled his arm around the omega’s waist to urge him to keep running.

“Come on, I’m not having you killed now!” Iwaizumi said while firmly dragging Yahaba with him.

“No! Let Go!” the omega yelled. “Keiji’s there!” he struggled against the alpha but Iwaizumi dragged him away without trouble.

“It’s the telepath…” Keiji mumbled, eyes fixed in a spot far west of the camp. “He’s the one chanting.”

“Hey! Keep running!” Kuroo shouted at Keiji when Iwaizumi and Oikawa started to shoot at their pursuers. Kenma was hugging Yahaba’s waist to use his own weight to prevent the omega to run back.

Keiji seemed to be in a trance, looking at something his eyes could not even see, but that his mind knew it was there. The chanting grew louder and he clutched his hands in his head to try preventing the forming pain.

Then out of nowhere, an arm lifted him up and he was suddenly moving again. His trance seemed to be broken and he looked down to see that Bokuto had thrown him onto his shoulders and was running toward the others. Keiji held onto the alpha’s back and looked back at the previous spot that got his attention.

“Bokuto, wait!” Keiji yelled. “It’s the telepath! He is right there! BOKUTO!”

Keiji clenched his nails in the alpha’s back and it was as if a lightning ran through both of their bodies. They gasped and suddenly Bokuto could hear better, see farther and run faster, his senses fired up but perfectly in his control. Keiji’s mind cleared completely, making him able to sense multiple presences all around, thoughts and intentions, emotions and connections. And not a single shadow of the previous headache.

Bokuto did not stop running, holding Keiji’s legs while his torso was slumped against his left shoulder, the weapon secure in the alpha’s right hand. He risked a look to his left to where the raven omega was still looking, being able to see three figures in black clothes, but one was not using a helmet nor mask to hide his face.

They arrived together with the others by the first truck and Bokuto placed Keiji on the ground, hearing Yahaba cursing at his friend for almost giving him another heart attack.

“The telepath!” Bokuto said to the others. “He’s by the trees! Blonde guy, dark clothes and green eyes. Not using a helmet, if we shoot something in his direction we might be able to disrupt his chanting!”

“What chanting?” Kenma mumbled.

“The hell!? How can you tell?” Oikawa asked while looking toward the direction Bokuto had pointed out.

“I have good sight!” Bokuto said happily, just to receive a slap in the head from Kuroo.

“We all do, you moron!” the raven alpha said. “It’s too far and behind trees, there’s no way you could see!”

“That doesn’t matter, let’s get moving before we get surrounded again.” Iwaizumi said after sending a biker to the ground by hitting a tire. “We can get the information to Daichi!”

They moved toward the second truck in the line but were surprised by more people coming to them, as if everyone who was attempting to reach the prisoners had been called to attack them now.

“Shit, they’re everywhere.” Kuroo said while crouching down in front of Kenma as a shield.

“The telepath is the one coordinating the attack, the chanting is connecting everyone.” Keiji suddenly spoke and some heads turned to look at him.

“So we need to break the connection.” Kenma said. “Then you guys can scatter the rest of the attackers. Don’t you have anything bigger than those?” he pointed lazily to the gun in his mate’s hand.

The alphas all grinned.

“I may have one thing or two inside my truck.” Iwaizumi smirked.

“What about this one?” Yahaba asked, pointing to the truck they were hiding behind.

“Nah, this one’s Daichi’s.” Oikawa dismissed the question. “All he has here is boring stuff, like maps and communication devices. Maybe some ammo, but the big toys came with us on the next one.”

Keiji saw Yahaba’s eyes lighting up but decided to ignore the clear plotting taking form in the omega’s head for now. The chanting was getting stronger, more people were coming.

“Then go get it! We’ll wait here.” Kenma said.

“Alright, let’s do this.” Iwaizumi said. “Bokuto, you come with me since you said you saw the target. Oikawa, hop up and cover for us.” he pointed up to the top of the truck and positioned his hand so his boyfriend could use it as a lift. The brunette did not wait and seconds later he was lying on his stomach on the top of the truck to clear the way to the others.

“I’ll watch your backs.” Kuroo said and then looked at Kenma. “Kitten, it’s better for you guys to hide. Maybe under the truck?”

“Or maybe inside!” Yahaba said and shot up to his feet to enter the truck, not waiting for the others to say anything. He opened the cabin door and hooped inside.

“Hey, wait!” Kuroo shout-whispered.

“Shigeru!” Keiji said but went after his friend.

“Maybe that’s better, they can get under the seats, more cover there.” Iwaizumi said and Kenma nodded, hoping inside the cabin too and moving to the back seat.

The alphas went for the task, moving together like the perfect team they were. Inside the cabin, Keiji was crouched under the wheel while Yahaba was supposed to be under the seat by his side, but he had his upper body up to look inside the compartment under the panel on that side.

“Shigeru!” Keiji screeched, “Get down and cover your head!”

“I’m going, just a second!” Yahaba said and not even a minute later he ‘ _yayed_ ’ in victory and tucked a folded paper inside his uniform. He then got completely under the panel and showed two thumbs up at Keiji.

Keiji sighed and ignored his friend, but did not miss the silent stare Kenma was shooting their way from the back seat.

Outside, the noises and screams got louder and louder as Oikawa and Kuroo covered for whatever Bokuto and Iwaizumi were doing at the moment. Suddenly, a big explosion was heard and the cabin trembled with the impact, the windows shaking and the metal screeching. A death silence echoed a little after and the omegas slowly moved up to see what happened.

In the large open space down the road there was a hole on the ground, with spots of fire here and there. The first roll of trees banded a little, but whatever hit the ground did not cause too much damage, having been cleared aimed to make a mess, not necessarily to hit a specific target.

However, Keiji noticed that the chanting had stopped.

“Dammit Bokuto!” came Iwaizumi’s angry voice from outside. “I said grenade, not rocket launcher!”

“Hey, hey, hey! It did the thing, hadn’t it!?” Bokuto’s voice replied.

The omegas noticed then multiple figures running away from the convoy and into the trees, fleeing to all sides, motorcycles or not. But the three of them looked straight ahead when a massive bloodlust hit their guts. Keiji could see the blonde man from before, even from that distance, as if his mind was providing him an image on a screen.

The telepath stood there facing them for a moment before turning around to run away with the attackers that managed to flee, but the angry sensation continued in the back of the omegas’ mind.

“So… I guess that feeling now was the telepath?” Kenma asked between Keiji and Yahaba.

“It was.” Keiji said. “And he was not happy.”

____________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY, HEY, HEY!!! How are you people?
> 
> First of all... my knowledge of guns and military operations are restricted to war movies and books, Avengers and google, so be kind to me please. Also, my truck's cabins have back seats, let's leave it at that.
> 
> IMPORTANT!  
> When I started to post this fanfic I said that I would bring an update every sunday as long as I had chapters ready. I was keeping at least six chapters written between the ones I post and the ones I write, usualy taking around a week to write a new chapter. But life got a little busy and I got behind this plan.  
> I am currently writing Chapter 15. It has got me three weeks with this one already, and I'm finally finishing it. It's a pretty good chapter, full of action, so it's worth it. But just for you guys to know, right now you have until Chapter 15 as weekly updates. After that we'll have to see.
> 
> Well, how you liked the chapter? Oh, just to say... last chapter ended with the empaths saying they were alright, and they actually were! Things got complicated later in the night. We'll know more later!
> 
> Have a nice week everyone! Be safe!


	13. A Pack Stands Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want him to love me like I love him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people! New chapter for you all!
> 
> Today we have a few answers, little bit of brainstorm and our boys being cute. Enjoy!

November 12th - 1:20 pm - Sentinel’s Camp

Well, they were still alive somehow, but now things were definitely a mess.

But it was not exactly his fault, right? I mean, he heard Iwaizumi telling him to grab the launcher! How could he know it was the grenade launcher and not the rocket launcher?

Or maybe he did say grenade launcher. Oh well, patience. It did the thing, they’re all alive, Keiji will feel better without all that annoying chanting, so he’ll count this one as a win! At least until Dad-chi arrives, and then it will all be just a mess.

Bokuto hoped down from the top of the second truck from where he had used the launcher to go see the damage he caused. There was smoke everywhere with people on the ground from all the fight, some were wounded and bleeding more than others, but he didn’t smell anyone dead, at least. He could still hear some escaping through the trees, getting farther in the distance, but he wasn’t about to run after anyone right now.

He walked after Iwaizumi who had got down from the truck before him and went back to the first vehicle. Kuroo was standing by the cabin’s door, telling the omegas to stay inside until they had made sure the place was truly secure, while Oikawa was still on the top, now standing up to look around the camp.

“I think we did scare them all now.” Oikawa said. “Even the ones attacking the other trucks have fled. Oh, cap’s on his way.” he added and started to get down.

Bokuto froze. He was about to go talk to Keiji about his awesome explosion technique when Oikawa said that Daichi was coming to them. He looked behind to see the squad’s captain marching toward them, rising up his hands in surrender and already starting some kind of excuse that would cover for him using the launcher.

“Cap!” Bokuto screeched, “I didn’t find the grenade! I swear!”

But to his surprise, Daichi paid no mind to whatever he was saying, approaching and engulfing him and Iwaizumi by his side in a double hug.

“God, I thought I would never see you guys again.” Daichi mumbled before letting them go, looking at the four of them, seeing Kuroo and Oikawa smirking at him. “Iwa, how are you awake? Are you alright?” he added, focusing on Iwaizumi.

“I am fine Daichi, good to see you in one piece too.” Iwaizumi smiled.

Daichi nodded and looked toward Kuroo. “And what about Kenma?”

“I’m here.” came the small voice from behind Kuroo and Oikawa, so they both stepped aside for the omega to join them.

“Kitten!” Kuroo frowned, “I just told you to stay in the truck until I clear the area!”

“The only danger here is the fact that Koutarou’s still holding the rocket launcher.” Kenma said while deadpanning to his mate.

Bokuto jumped with a screech and hid the launcher behind his back, looking at Daichi with wide eyes while the captain raised an eyebrow at him. Iwaizumi snickered when the white-haired alpha began to whistle a song while looking to the sky.

“Alright, I’m going to address that in a moment.” Daichi said and sighed, “But how are you two up? What happened?”

“Keiji got us back.” Kenma said while pointing a thumb over his shoulder to the omegas just exiting the truck’s cabin.

Bokuto saw the movement and jumped happily, trusting the launcher into Kuroo’s chest to get to Keiji’s side.

“Bokuto! This thing’s dangerous!” Kuroo screeched while holding it properly, but was still ignored.

“Keiji! Did you see the explosion? Did you see how it made everyone run away? Are you happy that the chanting stopped?” Bokuto asked while practically jumping up and down.

“Yeah, I saw it, Bokuto-san.” Keiji blinked at him. “It was very impressive.”

“And very loud.” Yahaba added by Keiji's side.

Bokuto’s smile morphed into a terrified expression after Yahaba’s line.

“Oh my God! I’m sorry!” he yelled. “Did you get scared? Of course you did! I didn’t mean to scare you! Oh! Did you get hit? Did I hit you!?” his mood was everywhere and he wasn’t sure if he should hug the omega or run for the hills and never come back.

“No I’m… I’m fine Bokuto-san.” Keiji said, confused and concerned for the alpha. “I wasn’t hit, I am fine. And it was not that loud. We’re okay, thanks to you.” he added while sending a side look to an unfazed Yahaba.

Bokuto’s babbling stopped suddenly and he looked toward the omega, golden eyes filled with tears but shining stronger by the seconds.

“Do you mean that?” the alpha asked slowly.

“Yes, I do. Thank you for protecting us, Bokuto-san.” Keiji answered and it was like Bokuto’s life had always been perfect.

“Hey, hey, hey!” he fisted the air and opened an amazing smile. “You’re welcome Keiji! I guess I am the best!”

Yahaba scoffed but whined when Keiji elbowed him on the ribs.

“Well, that was a fast one.” Kuroo smirked. “Didn’t think I would see the day Bokuto’s moods would be handled so smoothly.”

“Guess we just found his new babysitter, then.” Oikawa added while putting his arm around Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “Or maybe his other half.” he whispered into his boyfriend’s ear and felt Iwaizumi trying to hold back a smile.

“Get a room, Trash King.” Kuroo said.

“Screw you, Kuro-chan.” Oikawa bit back.

Kenma and Daichi sighed at the same time while the alpha moved toward Bokuto and the two omegas.

“You guys alright as well?” the captain asked.

“We’ll live. For now, at least.” Yahaba said.

Bokuto gasped and pulled at Yahaba’s arm to tell him how he shouldn’t say things like that, because he was there to make sure everything was always going to be fine. The omega whined and started to slap Bokuto’s hand from him while trying to make the alpha shut up.

Daichi and Keiji came to a mutual silent agreement about ignoring them both. The alpha was clearly trying to get his emotions together before speaking again.

“So, hum…” Daichi started. “Could you do me the favor and take a look at Suga too?”

Keiji blinked at him. “Is Sugawara-san still sleeping?”

“Yes, he is.” Daichi signed. “I locked the medical truck with him inside during the attack, but not even Bokuto’s explosion woke him up. He was not harmed, but he is not awake either.”

“I… I mean…” Keiji tried to find words. “I can take a look at him, but I cannot assure you I’ll be able to help. I actually didn’t do anything for the other two.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Oikawa said from behind Daichi. “You touched them and they woke up immediately. You just need to do it again.”

“I… I don’t know what I did.” Keiji started, not understanding the need to justify himself. “I just heard them calling for their mates. I touched them so that I could show where they were.”

“You didn’t hear our call Keiji, you felt it.” Kenma said.

They all got silent before Yahaba strode back to Keiji’s side. “I do not like this talk. Keiji didn’t do anything. You guys were hallucinating.”

“Are you serious going to pull that crap on us right now?” Kuroo scowled at Yahaba.

“I was there and I saw nothing.” Yahaba said defiantly. “Stop making things up.”

Kuroo was about to bark a response when Kenma put a hand on his arm to shut him up. Bokuto approached by the side and watched everyone carefully.

“Look,” Daichi said in a low voice after seeing Bokuto taking a defensive stance. “I won’t say anything nor report this in any form. None of us will talk about this again if you don’t want to.” he looked around his group before turning back to Keiji, “I just want my mate to wake up. Can you please try?”

Bokuto saw Keiji’s expression softens, he smiled at the omega to make sure he knew everything would be okay.

“Alright, I’ll see if I can help.” Keiji said. “But I don’t really want to talk about this any longer.”

“And Keiji won’t be held responsible if it doesn't work!” Yahaba said and Daichi nodded.

“I agree. Please, follow me.” Daichi said and they all started to walk down the truck line. They passed a bunch of people on the ground, some with physical wounds and others just passed out. Bokuto scrunched his nose in distaste, he really didn’t like the smell of hurt and fear he was sensing all around, that started to morph into anger and frustration the more they walked around the squad’s soldiers.

The medical team was running around to help everyone, and Bokuto did his best to stay out of their way, he could also see sentinels going to the trees on the edge of the camp, probably to try reestablishing the perimeter.

“I put everyone still standing to move around and restore the camp. We still have the prisoners, but we are going to have to get them somewhere else. Oh, and the medical team is shorthanded right now, so I’ll also put you guys to work as soon as Asahi makes sure you’re okay.” Daichi said when they approached the medical truck.

“We told you we’re fine.” Iwaizumi scowled at him.

“Well sorry, but I’m not taking any chances.” the captain said. “Asahi. Look who’s still up and kicking.” he added to the alpha doctor that was walking toward them.

“Thank God, I thought we would lose you guys out there.” Asahi said while smirking at them. “So, which of you did that freaking explosion?”

“Why do you go assuming we had anything to do with that?” Oikawa asked with a scowl. “It could be us being targeted by their explosives!

“I doubt it.” Asahi chuckled. “Something explodes while the four of you are somewhere closer to truck two during an attack? There’s no such coincidence.”

“You wound me, Asa-chan.” Oikawa gave a dramatic pout and Asahi only snorted back.

“Are you alright, though?” the doctor asked more seriously.

“They said they’re fine, but I want you to do a checkup anyway.” Daichi said before anyone could. “Why don’t you start with the omegas, so I can get them back to work.” he added a little louder, slightly tilting his head toward the medical truck.

Bokuto scrunched his nose and was about to say something when Kuroo touched his shoulder and signalized with his eyes to the people around them. Bokuto then noticed lots of the squad’s members scattered around, some receiving medical attention by the side of the road, while others walked up and down while doing their tasks in hand. He nodded to his friend in understanding and kept his mouth shut.

Asahi blinked at the captain but also nodded, not getting the entire motive yet, but not arguing either. He then agreed and called for them to follow him to the back of the vehicle, unlocking it and opening only one side of the double door, creating some kind of a cover for the one inside.

Kenma hopped inside the truck as soon as the alpha stepped out of the way, while Yahaba approached more slowly, looking inside first to make sure there were no surprises before also entering it. Keiji was about to do the same, but Bokuto noticed that as soon as the omega looked inside, his eyes landed in a bunch of medical devices and tools strapped onto the sides of the vehicle. 

Keiji left a sudden terrified scent and took a step back, unconsciously reaching his hand backward and holding at Bokuto’s arm with a firm grip. Yahaba came back to the door and frowned at them, which made Keiji look down to his own hand and let go with a start. Bokuto would pout at the loss of contact if he weren’t concerned too.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to touch you, I…” Keiji trailed off. “It is just that…” he looked back at the truck.

Asahi looked inside the truck and understood the problem. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t use any of that.” He spoke in a low voice. “And Bokuto can come inside too if you want.”

“I- I don’t think it is necessary… but thank you.” Keiji said and Bokuto did pout now, ignoring the snort Oikawa and Kuroo left at the same time behind them. The omega took Yahaba’s hand and hoped inside, but Bokuto kept watching to make sure he was okay.

“Hop in there too Cap, you’ll probably be needed.” Oikawa said and Daichi nodded before entering the vehicle after Asahi.

Bokuto felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back toward Kuroo. “Don’t worry buddy, all in due time. He’ll warm up to you eventually.” he smiled and Bokuto nodded, still feeling the soft touch in his left arm.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


Keiji has been feeling Sugawara’s calling since they passed by truck five, and the medical truck was still two positions away. It just got louder and louder the closer they got, but also started to mingle itself with feelings and thoughts from the sentinels passed out on the way. The nurses were rushing around, but not all of the soldiers were physically wounded.

The moment they approached the medical vehicle and the doctor opened the back door, Keiji could clearly sense Sugawara’s presence, reaching not only for his mate, but for anyone that might be listening. But the view from inside the truck sent a panic down his spine, remembering him of the shot of suppressants he was given before. He did not realize he had reached for Bokuto’s arm when that happened, but he will not deny that the alpha’s presence behind him soothed the fear away.

To be honest, Keiji did not like it. He was getting too attached too fast, and that would only make things worse when they start the escaping plan. He did not want to get close to the alpha just to run away in the middle of the night, especially because he knew that Bokuto would be the most affected by that.

So he declined the alpha’s immediate presence and took Yahaba’s hand to enter the vehicle, not missing the dejected feeling that came from behind him. But once inside he sat himself by Sugawara’s side, seeing the omega lying down on a stretcher, sleeping with the most peaceful expression he ever saw. He then looked around to see everyone looking at him, expectation clear in their eyes, he averted their stare and looked back at the sleeping form, reaching out in a hurry and touching the man’s wrist.

But nothing happened.

The silence that followed was deafening and Keiji wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Hum, I’m sorry but…” the doctor was the first to speak. “What exactly is suppose to happen?”

“He’s supposed to be awake, obviously.” Yahaba said sarcastically.

“So that’s it? So you can’t help?” the captain asked and Keiji’s face suddenly burned in shame, retrieving his hand from Sugawara’s wrist.

“Hey!” Yahaba scowled angrily at the captain. “You said you wouldn’t hold it against him!”

“I know, I… I’m not… it’s just…” the captain lowered his voice and trailed off, turning his back to them and sighing into one of his hands.

“Calm down, you’re not doing it like before.” Kenma said to Keiji.

“And what do you know-” Yahaba started angrily again before Kenma cut his speech.

“I know because I felt it.” Kenma said and took a step to Keiji’s side, squatting down to be lower than the other. “Calm down Keiji, you’re among friends, no one’s going to hurt you in here.”

Keiji blinked toward Kenma and saw nothing but truth in his golden eyes. He then looked around again and saw Yahaba’s scowl and crossed arms, always ready to fight for him with both fists and words. He saw the alpha doctor standing not too close but yet with concerned eyes, captain Sawamura with his back turned and forehead pressed against the truck’s side, nothing but sadness oozing off from him. He looked at the door and saw Bokuto there. Even if he had just rejected his presence, the alpha was still there waiting with a small smile on his face. He could also hear Oikawa’s and Kuroo’s voices while they both sent people walking away saying that the medical vehicle was unavailable now, with Iwaizumi’s presence right outside with them.

Keiji saw and felt it all. He did feel safe there with them, just like Kenma said he was. He did not want to admit it, but that is how he felt.

So he looked back to Sugawara’s sleeping form, seeing not just an omega in need, but also the person that has been trying to welcome him to the pack from the start. He wanted to help him, he really did, and the second he thought about that, he could feel the calling coming back in full force.

And just again, like in a trance, Keiji knew who the omega was searching for.

“Dai?” Keiji whispered in a dazed tone and the alpha captain swirled in a panic to look at him.

“Suga is…” he gulped, “Suga’s the only one who calls me that…”

“He is saying it now.” Keiji said. “He is cursing at you too… because you cannot hear him.”

The captain stared wide-eyed at Keiji and squatted down beside Kenma while looking at his mate. “What else? How can I reach him?”

“He says that you should have worked your ears the same way you work out at the gym?” Keiji said in confusion. “But he doesn’t regret the thighs because- Oh!” he stopped and felt his face burn again, stopping his line and blinking without looking at the others’ faces.

Kenma snorted and got to his feet, walking away and hopping off the truck like his job there was done. The captain’s face was totally red while he gapped at his mate’s sleeping form, the doctor snickering behind them.

Keiji was brought back to the situation when Sugawara’s voice called again.

_Dai…_

“But he also says he loves you. And he wants to come back.” Keiji said and reached once more to touch Sugawara’s arm. The moment they were connected, the silver haired jumped awake, eyes wide and a snarl in place toward his mate. He then jumped forward and engulfed the captain in a fierce hug, sending them both to the floor.

“I am so pissed right now, you bastard!” Sugawara cried on his mate’s neck. “Why didn’t you hear me? I was calling the entire time! Why weren’t you listening!?”

“Koushi!” the captain said and hugged the omega tight. “God, thank you! Thank you!”

Keiji got up and walked around them toward Yahaba and the door, his friend was again surprised but just sighed and shook his head. By the door, Bokuto was smiling brightly at him, as if he carried the whole sun or something.

“You did it!” Bokuto cheered after Keiji and Yahaba left the truck, Sugawara’s curses at his mate still coming from inside.

“No, he did not!” Yahaba said sternly by his side. “Shut up and remember the deal!”

“Oh yeah, right!” Bokuto said apologetically.

“There you are!” came a sudden angry voice and they all jumped before Kyoutani came barreling inside their small gathering to stop right in front of Yahaba as if no one else was there. “Where the hell were you!?”

“Excuse me!” Yahaba snarled back at the alpha and they entered a pissed off staring contest. “Since when do I need to answer you my whereabouts!?”

“Since a shooting started and you were not where you were supposed to be!” Kyoutani barked furiously. “I went to the omegas’ campsite when the attack began and you were not there!”

Yahaba blinked surprised and everyone was silent for a moment. Their shouting had got Sugawara and the two alphas from inside the truck and now they were all staring at the fuming blonde alpha.

“Kentarou,” Iwaizumi started slowly. “He is fine, he was with us up front-”

“He wasn’t supposed to be with you!” Kyoutani barked, cutting Iwaizumi’s line. “He was supposed to be where I could find him when things got dangerous and-”

“You don’t get to decide where I am supposed to be!” Now it was Yahaba that cut the alpha with a growl. “I am not your property! I do not answer to you! So shut your crap and leave me alone!”

Kyoutani took two fast steps and stared Yahaba in the eyes, inches from his face, while his fists were clenched by his side, clearly trying to contain his anger. Iwaizumi reacted and put an arm between them both to push Kyoutani away, Bokuto approaching from the other side while Keiji stared threatening at the alpha that was facing his friend.

Neither Kyoutani nor Yahaba moved an inch, both holding each other stare in an obvious dominance quarrel.

“You talk to me like that again and I’ll make you regret omega.” Kyoutani murmured without bulking, eyes scanning Yahaba’s face.

“You call me omega one more time and I will melt your brain and serve it as soup!” Yahaba snarled with an angry scent and Keiji growled loudly behind him. Bokuto took that as an order and pushed Kyoutani away.

The blonde stumbled a couple of steps back and faced Bokuto with a growl. “Stay out of this!”

“I told Yahaba he would be safe in here! And that includes from you if he wants it!” Bokuto barked and stood between the two. “And you’re upsetting Keiji! Get your shit together!”

Kyoutani lunged for Bokuto with bared fangs and the other answered the same way, fists and growls flying around in an instant. Yahaba growled and just didn’t jump in there because Keiji held him back, blue eyes glued in Bokuto’s form.

The fight did not last a minute since the others were quick to rip the two apart. Iwaizumi and Daichi pulled Kyoutani away while Kuroo jumped behind Bokuto and restrained his arms by his armpits from behind, taking away his balance and making the white-haired kick his feet in the air.

“Stop this nonsense! We don’t have time for this!” Daichi barked.

“Yeah, Bo-chan!” Oikawa said while standing between them and facing Bokuto in case the alpha decide to lunge from Kuroo’s hold. “They were about to start an angry make out session! You ruined it!”

Bokuto’s expression changed and he looked wide-eyed at Yahaba. “Oh, sorry. Was that what you were aiming for?” he asked innocently.

“WHAT!?” Yahaba squawked, face turning bright red in an instant.

“That was my impression too.” Sugawara snickered from behind.

“Suga, Oikawa! Stop the jokes, it’s not the time!” Daichi said to them and then looked back toward Kyoutani, Iwaizumi was still in front of the blonde to make sure he wouldn’t go for Bokuto again. “Kyoutani, pull yourself together! The hell you think you’re doing!?”

“But he wasn’t there!” Kyoutani shouted in a strangled voice, and now instead of anger they could smell the frustration oozing from him. “I saw a couple motorcycles going for the omegas and I ran after them, but when I got there he wasn’t around! I thought they had caught-” then he stopped talking altogether, leaving his line unfinished. He looked toward the ground and bowled his fists by his side again.

Everyone remained silent for a moment before Iwaizumi spoke again, low and soft.

“Kentarou, he’s fine.” he said. “He wasn’t hurt during the attack. He was cleaning the tents with his friend when it began. That’s why he was there with us, and I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”

Keiji heard when the blonde alpha grumbled something else to the ground and then slowly eased his stance, the others all relaxing. Kuroo let go of Bokuto while smirking like Oikawa and Sugawara were, Kenma just sighed and shook his head. By Keiji’s side, Yahaba mumbled something about _‘stupid people saying stupid things’_ and took a couple of steps away to hide his burning embarrassed face.

Bokuto then walked to Keiji’s side while smiling like a kid waiting for praise when another sound took them all by surprise.

“You!”

Keiji looked to the side and saw a woman a few feet away from him while being escorted somewhere by two sentinels on each side of her. The woman was looking straight toward Keiji and he felt as if she was trying to look inside his soul.

Every eyes turned to the woman before Daichi spoke to the sentinels beside her.

“What’s the problem sentinels?”

“We are moving her to another truck as you ordered Sir!” one of them answered. “So that the one attacked can be repaired from the damages.”

Daichi was about to tell the sentinels to carry on with the task when suddenly the woman screamed toward Keiji.

“YOU! You were the one to break it! How did you break it!?” Then she lunged toward him at an amazing speed, taking everyone by surprise.

Everything happened so fast that Keiji did not realize it until he was on the ground a few feet away from his earlier spot. The woman had lunged at him, arms raised and hands about to squeeze his neck when Bokuto reacted, and in an instant the alpha’s arms were circling around Keiji’s waist to hold and swirl him around to shield him. 

But the woman’s hand still grazed on Keiji’s upper arm, and the moment their skin connected, a massive shock wave started between them and expanded around, sending Bokuto and Keiji flying to one side and the woman to the other.

From the ground, Keiji noticed that he was laying on top of Bokuto, who had surprisingly managed to land first so Keiji would not hit the ground, one arm still around his waist while the other hand was protecting the omega’s head. He looked at Bokuto’s face and found the alpha moving to also look at him.

“Are you okay, Keiji?” Bokuto asked.

“Yes I-” Keiji trailed off confused with the whole situation. “I am fine, thank you, Bokuto-san.”

“Get Off Me!” they heard the angry voice and turned to see Yahaba pushing Kyoutani away from himself so he could get up and go to Keiji. When the shockwave formed the others had also reacted, and Kyoutani had ran to Yahaba, tackling the omega to the ground and shielding him with his body. Daichi had gone to Sugawara and Kuroo was crouched beside Kenma while also shielding him, but the wave seemed to actually just throw Keiji, Bokuto and the woman away.

“Hey! You’re okay!?” Yahaba asked after running to him, he helped Keiji up and Bokuto let go of his waist.

“Yeah, we’re fine. How about you?” Keiji asked and Bokuto stood up by his side.

“I would be better if that maniac hadn’t tackled me to the ground!” Yahaba said.

Keiji was about to say more when a wave of pain suddenly shocked through his body, making him hissing at his left arm, right where the woman touched him. In the middle of his upper arm a huge burnt mark was forming, turning the skin bright red and sending a burning feeling all around his arm.

“What the hell!?” Yahaba said and held Keiji’s arm up to take a look at the wound. Bokuto saw it too and his eyes widened before he also left a hiss of his own. Keiji and Yahaba looked toward the alpha when the man held his own left arm, but there was nothing visible there.

“Are you hurt, Bokuto-san?” Keiji asked but Bokuto just shook his head, although he remained with a confused look.

“No, no… I’m fine.” the alpha said. “But you’re not! You got burned.”

Keiji looked back to the burn that now seemed a lot like fingers. Yahaba noticed it too, turning back toward the woman some meters away. 

“What the hell did you do?” Yahaba growled at her. The woman was seated on the ground between the sentinels that went back to escort her again, cradling her hand to her chest and mumbling something while looking toward the ground. Asahi went to look at her, taking her hand in his and then trying to catch her eyes.

“She’s not improving, captain.” the doctor said and they all heard. “We need to isolate her. All these mental blows are starting to drain her mind.”

“Can you give her something to knock her out for now?” Daichi asked. “I’ll report this mess to try getting us to a base.”

Asahi nodded and Daichi told the sentinels to take the woman to where they were going before. Yahaba continued staring at her, but she did not even look toward them.

“The hell is going on in this place?” Yahaba mumbled to no one before looking back at Keiji.

“Hey, come on, let’s get Asahi to take a look at this!” Bokuto said by their side and lightly touched Keiji’s elbow to guide him back to the medical truck, which was a good call, because the moment Keiji tried to take the first step the world swirled around and he lost strength in his knees, only not falling because Bokuto and Yahaba held him up.

“I’m fine, I’m alright...” Keiji said dizzily, suddenly very pale.

“That’s obviously a lie, you idiot!” Yahaba said by his side.

“Come on, I’ll carry you.” Bokuto said and was about to pick him up when Keiji pushed the two away and turned around before falling onto his knees, back turned to them.

“No! Sorry, but I-” his line was cut when he began to throw up on the ground.

“Oh man, you’re definitely not okay.” Oikawa said from somewhere behind him and Keiji wanted to cry from embarrassment.

“Hey, it’s alright!” Bokuto said while patting his back after crouching down beside him. “Get it out, you’ll feel better after.”

“I- I’m sorry you guys had to see that.” Keiji mumbled trying to get control over his insides.

“Don’t worry about that, here.” Sugawara popped up by his side and gave him a piece of cloth to clean his mouth. “You are probably just worn out, it’s a normal reaction.”

Keiji took the cloth with a small _‘thank you’_ and tried to get up again, still dizzy but not so nauseous anymore. Yahaba was faster than Bokuto and supported Keiji’s right side, beginning to walk them to the medical truck from where the alpha doctor went to get his medical case and was about to walk to them. Bokuto trailed behind them in case Keiji fell again, but the omega’s steps were steadier now.

Asahi met them half way through and took a look on Keiji, seeing pupils and such. He nodded and said that Sugawara was probably right and Keiji must just be exhausted right now, but the burning on his arm was another thing, and he asked the omegas to come to the truck so he could treat it properly.

The entire ruckus had surely created a small crowd and Keiji wanted to be anywhere but there, but he had no choice but to keep walking while keeping his poker face in place. Thankfully, captain Sawamura started to get people back to work and things got a little calmer after they hoped back inside the medical truck.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be using any syringe on you.” the alpha doctor said before the omegas could say anything and Keiji thought it was kind of him to remind that. “I just need to clean the burn and apply some medicine. You’ll feel better after that.”

“Alright, do you got this covered Asahi? I have to get the rest of the camp back in shape.” the alpha captain said from the door.

“Yeah, we’re fine. I’ll go for the woman after this before seeing the rest of the squad.” the doctor answered and then looked at Keiji. “You can stay here and rest for now. Use the stretcher to get some sleep. I’ll close the vehicle to give you privacy.”

“Oh, no I don’t want to impose…” Keiji started to say but Sugawara’s voice cut him from outside the door.

“Nonsense. You might as well just have saved all our lives today. You deserve some rest.” Sugawara smiled. “You can stay here with him Yahaba, I’ll cover for you guys and bring you food later.”

“Not that I was waiting for that permission.” Yahaba said to Sugawara with a smirk and the other omega laughed while waving his hand in the air.

“So… hum…” Bokuto said by the door, looking at Keiji with puppy eyes. “I’ll be here… if you need me.”

“No, you will not. You have a job to do! Daichi needs all the hands he can get.” Sugawara said with a smirk, “Same for all of you! Shooo! Go make yourselves useful! Kenma, you and I have to assess the mess and get lunch started.”

Keiji couldn’t help the smile that came to his face when Bokuto left a _‘Sugaaaaa’_ whine, Kenma grumbled something with an annoyed expression, and Oikawa left a _‘You are too lively for a former coma patient, Suga-chan!’_. Captain Sawamura took the cue and started to send them away in all possible directions, but Keiji was also taken aback that every single one of them bid him goodbye and wished him to get better before leaving to their tasks. Even Kyoutani stared at Yahaba for a moment before grunting something and walking away.

Bokuto was the last to leave, and not without Kuroo dragging him by the collar of his uniform, also not before promising Keiji that he would be back to check on him later. After that the place was absurdly quieter, and the doctor finished treating Keiji’s burn before speaking again.

“Done, this should help. How are you feeling?

“I’m better now, thank you.” Keiji said truthfully.

“Alright, I’ll be gone for now, but here,” the alpha took a radio out of his belt and gave it to Yahaba. “I’ll leave it in channel 4. If you need anything, just push this button here and speak into it, then I’ll come back for you.”

The omegas nodded and Asahi stood up to leave the truck, but he looked back at them before stepping out.

“Look Keiji, I don’t really know what you did, or even how you did it. I actually never saw anything like that before.” he started to say and Yahaba frowned at him immediately, so Asahi raised his hands up to show he meant no harm before continuing. “But I know that you saved my friends today, and for that, thank you. Your secret is safe with me, whatever it is.”

Keiji blinked surprised while seeing the alpha leaving the truck and closing the door after telling them to rest and to call if they need anything. They were left alone inside, with a small night light that the doctor had lit up before leaving, which Keiji would be marveling at if he weren’t so tired now.

He laid down on the stretcher and gave space for Yahaba to do the same, the movement natural to them after years sharing one small futon and one blanket with Yaku back in Sector C. Keiji laid by his right side and Yahaba did the same, circling an arm around his friend carefully to not disturb his left arm.

“So, what do we do now?” Yahaba whispered from behind him.

“I have absolutely no idea.” Keiji said in the same tone.

“Well, I know we should be smart about this, but I truly think we need to find a way to leave as soon as possible. Things are escalating here, and I don’t like it.” Yahaba said.

“I agree, we need to go.” Keiji said somehow dejected. “Did you get the map?”

“Yeah, don’t know how good it is, though.” Yahaba patted his uniform where the folded paper was hidden. “Let’s take a look at it after our nap. Or maybe tonight, after they’re all sleeping.”

Keiji nodded and closed his eyes. “Good night, Shigeru.”

“Night Keiji, wake me if you need anything.” Yahaba said and they both merged into a peaceful sleep for now.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 12th - 17:50 pm - Tokyo’s Sector C

Yaku sat by the fence, back slumped against it while looking at the sun setting behind the buildings of the sector. He sighed and looked up toward the evening sky, thinking about all the things that could possibly be happening to his friends right now.

He had felt strange things today, like a connection being made somewhere, then feelings of confusion and doubt, then pure adrenaline running through his veins. It all passed eventually, and he was left imagining what Keiji and Yahaba were facing to instigate such an intense response through their pack-bond.

Yaku was getting restless, he needed to get out of there as soon as possible. Time was running out based on all the things their friends were feeling on a daily basis. Something inside his brain was telling him that the other two were not even in Tokyo anymore, and that scared him to no end. He did not understand how so many sensations could come out of someone stuck in a base in the city, so his guts were telling him that they had left already, and he was afraid he had lost them forever.

But no, he could not think like that now, he needed to focus on the task in hand, and that was making Lev a sentinel to get to that base in sector A. The alpha was getting there, he wasn’t completely useless, just a major idiot, but Yaku knew he had potential. But they needed to move faster, this was starting to take too long and he knew that the others might not have much time left.

Especially if Keiji and Yahaba had left the city. As pack mates the omegas can feel each other’s moods and anxieties, even if most of them do it without even noticing, which was definitely Yahaba’s case, but the stronger he omega empath is, the farther the bond can reach a pack mate. If the other two left the city and Yaku can still feel Keiji’s emotions, then something is making the omega’s power evolve faster.

And a powerful Keiji is dangerous. First, because he needs to learn how to control it, but second and most important, because it makes it more difficult to hide him from the ones they fear. So he needed to get to Keiji, and he needed to do it now!

Yaku felt a presence approaching and stood up to hide, but stopped himself when he noticed who it was. He turned around to see Lev walking toward him, a market bag in hand and no signs of his usual gear, just the uniform.

The omega raised an eyebrow when the alpha approached with a bright smile.

“Hey there, Yaku-san! Good evening!”

“Good evening Lev.” Yaku said slowly. “What are you doing here? It is not dark yet, has your shift started already?”

“Oh, no! Not yet!” Lev beamed at him. “I am going to the post now to gather my gear and go for the first patrol, but I wanted to bring you something first so I came from that side street over there.” he finished while pointing a thumb over his shoulder to show the street.

“Bring me... something?” Yaku said suspiciously and took a small step backwards.

“Yeah! I was walking by a store and I remembered you!” Lev said, apparently not noticing Yaku’s apprehension while digging inside the bag to retrieve something wrapped in a light yellow paper. “I saw it and suddenly remembered you said there was not much food in here, so I wanted to bring this to you! It’s yakisoba bread, I hope you like it!” he said while trusting it toward the fence.

Yaku’s eyes widened when the smell of fresh bread hit his nose. His mouth filled instantly and he swallowed it as fast. He had gone food hunting after saying goodbye to the alpha in the morning, but once again found nothing. There were too many people in the ward these days, and even if the truck with food had come not so long ago, no trace of any leftovers were around anymore. And he would not go back to the elders for food, he was not going to eat the only thing they may have for the next months.

So he was hungry, very, but he would not say that aloud. And when that marvelous smell hit his face he instantly wanted to cry and rip it from the alpha’s hand. But fear spoke stronger, and he looked back to Lev’s face.

“But I thought you weren't supposed to give me food.” Yaku said with caution.

“Oh, oh yeah, I guess I’m not…” Lev trailed off for a moment before looking up again. “But you have been helping me and I wanted you to taste this! Don’t worry, I came here before going to the post so that the others wouldn’t take it from me, you see, we can’t have food with us during our shifts.”

Yaku blinked surprised when Lev resumed passing the bread through one of the fence’s gaps, hesitating a moment before taking it in his hands slowly.

“Thank you Lev.” Yaku whispered and Lev beamed with a bright smile. “Truly, thank you. I haven’t been eating much later, this will help a lot.”

“You’re welcome Yaku-san!” Lev said while folding the bag and putting it inside his pocket. “I’ll go get my equipment at the post now. I’ll come by after the first round around the street!”

Yaku just nodded, eyes fixed in the wrapped bread in his hands. Lev took two steps away before stopping again and looking back at him.

“You know, Yaku-san…” he waited for Yaku to look at him before continuing. “Thanks to you, I guess I am starting to hear more things! I kept hearing a cat all day and that was getting me crazy because I wanted to sleep but it wouldn’t stop! But I couldn’t see it anywhere! I just found it when I left to come here, and it was inside a house three blocks away! With protection on the window and everything!”

Yaku scoffed. “Are you sure it was the same cat?”

“Yeah!” Lev said happily. “That’s another thing! Now I can pinpoint exactly who did any noise! It’s really creepy!”

“Well, I’m happy for you then.”

“Yeah, thank you! That’s why… well…” Lev trailed off. “Well, I… I think I will try to be a sentinel again, you know? I really think I have a chance now.” he looked down to avoid Yaku’s eyes. “And I wanted to know if… if you would come with me… Because I know you helped and- but I don’t know if I could pass the test by myself.”

Yaku looked wide-eyed at Lev. He was not expecting that. His plan was to enhance the alpha’s hearing as fast as possible, and then send a suggestion to his brain to make him take Yaku with him to the base. He was not expecting the alpha to get to this conclusion by himself, just like he was not supposed to remember Yaku at all during times that they were not together by the fence.

“You… you want me to go with you?” Yaku mumbled.

“Yeah! I was never good doing tests, so I’m afraid I won’t pass it again this time.”

“What test?”

“Oh, well, you see… I was talking to a friend and he told me that if I wanted to try being a sentinel again I could request a final exam to show my abilities. It is a onetime thing, so if I fail it I’ll be done for good.”

Yaku looked intensively at Lev, he could see that the alpha really wanted this, plus, it would work just as Yaku needed it to.

“Will you be sent to the base in sector A if I go with you after you pass the test?” Yaku asked.

“Yeah, I guess.” Lev started before beaming again. “Oh, you have family there, right!? You may even be able to see them! And I think it would be easier for me to sneak snacks to you without this fence and the officers from the post and such.”

Yaku smiled and looked at the bread in his hands. Lev not only remembered about him, he remembered what he said about Keiji and Yahaba as well. The omega then took a deep breath and looked back to Lev with a new spark in the eyes.

“Go gear up and do the first round.” he said with a decided voice. “Then come back here when it’s all dark. We are going to turn you into a sentinel tonight.”

And when Lev beamed and all but ran toward the post guard by the gate, Yaku did not care to make the effort to send any suggestion to the alpha’s brain about forgetting him this time.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 12th - 19:20 pm - Sentinel’s Camp

The day was truly exhausting and Kenma was more than happy that it was finally over. The campsite had to be completely reorganized after the attack, the alphas rebuilded the perimeter and doubled the border patrol, Asahi and the nurses ran around to make sure all the wounded were tended, and the omegas had to clean everything, set new tents, gather things all around and sew clothes and such.

So he was tired, that is true, but less tired that he would have been before. Truth is, since he woke up today, Kenma was feeling completely recharged, and even though he wanted to curl up by his mate’s side, he wasn’t exactly in need of it. Not that he wanted to work more, of course not, since he enjoyed being lazy while playing a game in Kuroo’s bedroom, but felt nice not dragging his feet around to stay up.

This new pool of energy was strange but not a mystery, he just did not know how long it would last. He knows it has something to do with Keiji and how their minds connected when the omega woke him up. It was like something changed in the way Kenma’s brain connected with his own body, like a road being opened and the access cleared.

And he was not the only one.

Every time he passed by Sugawara the older omega was doing something. Cleaning, cooking, stashing things, sewing the tents, cleaning the trucks and covering bullets holes, and who knows what else. He was walking around and directing people so easily that it seemed like he didn’t need to think what the next task was, he just knew and got on with it. Kenma even heard him whistling a song or two during chores.

Hajime was another one. The alpha seemed to be fired up with a stash of batteries. The only thing he didn’t want to do was being the watch guard because it would make him stay put somewhere and he said he needed to move around. Kenma saw Oikawa whining after him a couple of times while trying to keep up with the other. Hajime paid him no mind and continued to carry heavy boxes all around while ignoring his boyfriend’s cries for him to slow down.

Kenma thought that everything was too amusing. He didn’t know how long it would last, or if he would crash later, so he just carried on through the day and tried to not laugh every time he caught Kuroo’s confused expression while his mate tried to understand who he was and what he did to his Kitten.

So after sunset he actually ran out of things to do, so he went to help Suga making dinner. The camp was as fixed as possible, and people were already snoring everywhere from exhaustion, but things were still tense. No one was talking loudly, not even among the sentinels, and Daichi had spent most of the day talking with the commander through the satellite phone. So things weren’t exactly nice, but Kenma spent the day focusing on the tasks in hand other than the whole _‘people just tried to kill us’_ thing.

“Alright, I think we have it covered.” Sugawara said before turning toward an omega who was helping them set the bowls with food in the trays. “Take this one to the command tent up front, Kenma and I will take the other two.” the omega nodded and walked away.

“Are we taking ours to eat there as well?” Kenma asked after counting the number of bowls.

“Yeah, I guess everything is running fine now, so we can relax a little. And since most of the camp is already sleeping, I don’t believe people will notice it that much.” Sugawara said when they both started to walk with the trays of food in hand. “Let’s just stop by the medical truck. Asahi’s still there and maybe we can convince the other two to join us.”

“So Keiji’s finally up?”

“Yes, thank God. I was starting to think he might have another coma episode, but I think he was just tired.” Sugawara chuckled.

“Can you blame him? His mind was running a mile per second during the whole morning. I was surprised he didn’t crash sooner.”

“Yeah…” Sugawara sighed now. “That and the attack from the woman before. I don’t know why, but Keiji just seems to be the target for this kind of thing.”

“Is it because of his empathy level?” Kenma whispered after they passed a couple of omegas walking back to the end of the camp.

“Maybe. Which we still doesn’t know either. I don’t believe Keiji and Yahaba ever did an empathy test.”

“Good luck trying to make them do one.” Kenma scoffed and Sugawara laughed while they approached the medical truck.

“Won’t that be a treat?” Sugawara said before lightly knocking at the half-closed door and peaking at the three figures inside. “Hey there! You guys ready for dinner?”

Kenma looked inside too and nodded a greeting to the ones inside. Yahaba was seated by Keiji’s side on the stretcher while the raven had his left arm bandaged by the alpha doctor.

“Hey Suga, hi Kenma. How’re you two feeling?” Asahi asked without looking away from the task in hand.

“Great actually, which is creepy. But also starving.” Sugawara said happily. “We’re going to eat with the others in the command tent. Wanna join?”

“Sure, we’re almost done here.” the alpha said before finishing and looking at his patient. “Done. How does it feel Keiji?”

“It’s better, thank you.” Keiji answered.

“What about the burning feeling?” Asahi asked.

“It is not that strong now.” Keiji started to say and looked at his arm, petting the bandage lightly. “This… hum… this medicine seems to be helping.”

“See, I told you not every medicine was bad. You might just be allergic to suppressants somehow.” the doctor said with a sad smile. “Which is still concerning, but we’ll figure that out later.”

“Allergic?” Keiji asked, truly confused, and Kenma blinked while asking himself how many more trivial things Keiji had never heard about. Well, at least they were trivial for himself, but they just had a real different childhood.

“It’s when chemicals make you sick.” Yahaba said bluntly and Keiji looked at him with an understanding nod.

“It is actually a bit more complicated than that, but let us talk about that later.” Asahi said and stood up to move to exit the vehicle. “Are you two coming?” he asked the omegas.

Keiji and Yahaba shared a look for a moment and they all noticed the exchange of a silent conversation.

“Do you need us there?” Keiji asked, looking straight at Sugawara. His tone was not harsh or anything, but it was not a carefree tone either. He clearly was asking the pack’s head omega if their service would be needed.

“No. We want you there.” Sugawara answered with a frown, getting to that exact conclusion. “It’s been a long day and we just wanted to relax among friends.”

“Well then I think we’ll pass. We’re tired, so I think we’ll turn in early.” Yahaba said while smiling and jumped to his feet, Keiji standing up after him. “But thank you for the invite anyway.”

“You guys slept most of the day. Are you already going to bed?” Kenma scowled at Yahaba when they both left the truck.

“Yeah, sure thing! You are never too rested to fall asleep again.” Yahaba smirked.

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Sugawara trailed off.

“Anyway, thank you for the invitation, but we’ll be going for now.” Keiji said and they both started to walk away.

“Wait!” Sugawara called for them in a hurry. “Here, at least take your dinner with you.” he offered a bowl in their direction and Keiji looked at it confused.

“Oh, dinner again?” he asked. “But doctor Asahi-san brought it to us already.”

“I did not.” It was Asahi’s turn to frown. “I brought you guys an apple like, three hours ago.”

“Yeah Keiji, that was meant to be the afternoon snack since you were sleeping during lunch time.” Yahaba said and took the two bowls that Sugawara and Kenma were giving them.

“Oh right, sorry I… keep forgetting about those.” Keiji said and accepted the bowl from Yahaba. “Thank you for all the food. Good night to you all.”

They bid them goodnight and the two omegas went away toward the omega’s side camp. Sugawara watched them for a moment before sighing.

“It really pains me how little food they expect to have each day.” Sugawara said dejected.

“I guess they can’t help it.” Asahi said and began to walk along the other two toward the command tent. “Maybe it is just how they have lived so far?”

“That is exactly what pains me.” Sugawara sighed again. “Yahaba eats almost anything I give him, but he usually stores things in his pocket when Keiji’s not around, even when I tell him that the other’s portion will be there later. And it doesn’t matter how long it takes for Keiji to finish a chore, he never comes to get his food after, so I go track him down with food and he always seems surprised in having it. And I never heard of any of them trying to sneak snacks either, which we all do all the time when no sentinel is around.”

“Hum… Do you think they got used to just not getting hungry as much as we do?” Asahi asked.

“I think it’s exactly the opposite.” Kenma joined the conversation in a small voice. “I think they store their own supply and are much smarter when taking snacks for themselves without anyone noticing. Did you see any of them eating the apples you brought earlier?” he finished the question toward the alpha.

Asahi frowned and tried to remember it. Sure he had other things to do at the time, he just popped up to take a look at the omegas and see if Keiji had worsened during the afternoon, but since everything was alright he didn’t stay for long.

“I don’t think any of them made a move to eat while I was there. Maybe they just wanted privacy?” he asked.

“Or maybe they were saving it for another time.” Kenma said.

“Jeez… Do they think I’m going to let them starve!?” Sugawara said in frustration.

“I believe they think they need to be always prepared for that.” Kenma said final when they got to the big tent and walked inside.

The command tent was big enough to fit small gatherings inside during mission planning, with a small table and bunch of devices and boxes around. Now it had a few holes in the cloth after the shooting, but the bigger ones had already been sewed back together during Sugawara’s energy burst this afternoon.

Inside the tent they found some of the others with a bunch of futons they brought to sit around on the ground. They had decided to eat together in the command tent since Daichi was still busy with things there and it would give them privacy to talk among themselves.

“Where is Daichi?” Sugawara asked the moment they entered the tent and realized the captain wasn’t around. 

“Just left.” Iwaizumi answered. “He got a call from Tokyo with apparently something important. Then he just strode out of the tent while cursing not so many good things.” he smirked.

“Okay then, I’ll track him later if he doesn’t come back for dinner.” Sugawara sighed. “Which is already here, so you lazy alphas could at least get up to take a bowl!” he finished with a kick to Oikawa’s leg, whose owner was splashed down on the ground.

“Ouch! Rude Suga-chan!” Oikawa said while sitting up and cradling his kicked leg. “I’m exhausted from today! I didn’t get that creepy energy nap you empaths had!”

“It wasn’t an energy nap Tooru, it was a minor coma!” Iwaizumi kicked him too before sitting by his side with both of their bowls in hand. “We were trying to wake up the entire time!”

“Iwa-chaaaan…” he whined again when kicked before accepting the bowl from his boyfriend and then looking at the other with concerned eyes. “But it did energized you. How else would you explain doing the inventory of the three first trucks in only a couple of hours!? Twice!”

“Why the hell did you do it twice?” now it was Kuroo who asked. He was seated across from them on the other end of the tent by Bokuto’s side, and accepted a bowl from Kenma when the omega came to seat himself in front of him, nesting comfortably between the alpha’s crossed legs.

“I didn't do it twice.” Iwaizumi said. “I did it once and then verified if it was everything according to the first record.”

“And why did you need to verify?” Kuroo asked between bites.

“Because he found nothing else to do!” Oikawa raised his hands in the air in clear despair.

“Shut up Tooru! No one asked you to follow me around.” Iwaizumi grumbled and started to eat his food.

“Well sorry darling, but I had to keep my eyes on you to make sure you weren’t overworking yourself after a coma incident!” Oikawa said. “Which was clearly a waste of time since you did it anyway.”

The pet name was said sarcastically but it made Iwaizumi blush anyway, which earned Oikawa a punch in the arm and sent the others in a fit of laughter. Bokuto was the only one still quiet, lightly brushing his fingers against his upper left arm while lost in thought.

“Bokuto.” Sugawara said while trying to give the alpha his bowl. “Have your dinner buddy. What are you thinking about in that head of yours?” he asked and went to sit down beside Asahi on the same side that Oikawa and Iwaizumi were.

“Nothing.” Bokuto said simply.

“Well that’s clearly a lie so do you mind elaborating?” Oikawa asked.

They all waited but Bokuto only shrugged his shoulders and began eating while looking toward the ground. Asahi then tried to lighten the mood since they all imagined what Bokuto was thinking about.

“Oh, I just came from the medical truck. Keiji is feeling better now since I put some ointment on his burn.”

“Yeah, I felt it.” Bokuto said distracted and they all went silent again, but now with surprised looks toward the alpha that still was not looking at them.

“You felt it? How?” Kuroo asked while looking at his friend.

Bokuto sighed and put his bowl on his lap before looking around to see everyone staring at him. He then showed them his left arm while brushing his fingers against the smooth and perfect skin.

“I felt some prickling burning feeling here after that woman touched Keiji. It doesn't really hurt, but it’s annoying. Then I felt something fresh easing it up and now it’s somehow better.” Bokuto said while they all frowned at him.

“But how could you feel it?” Oikawa asked.

“Like this.” Kenma said before suddenly stabbing his own hand with one of his chopsticks. It wasn’t hard enough to draw blood, just to send a wave of pain through his arm.

“Ouch!” Kuroo, who was looking at Bokuto, jumped and cradled his own hand to his chest before turning to his mate. “Kitten! Why did you do that!? It hurts!” He then went for Kenma’s stabbed hand and began to massage the red spot.

“Wait! Did you feel it?” Oikawa asked surprised while looking toward Kuroo. The others looking at them the same way.

“Yes, our bond is like an open line, so Kuro can feel my pain.” Kenma said while resting his back against his mate’s chest as the other kept massaging his hand, mumbling about feisty kittens that likes to demonstrate things. “Just like I feel his.” the omega finished.

“And does everyone work like that?” Iwaizumi asked, now looking at Sugawara.

“Not everyone, no.” Sugawara answered. “It needs a strong bond. And the stronger the empath the faster the pain message will travel. Kuroo felt it instantly, while me and Daichi only share sensations this easily when the feeling is extremely strong.”

“So I guess Ken-chan is stronger than Suga-chan!” Oikawa said and Kenma blushed almost instantly, hiding his face behind his dark hair.

They all laughed at that and Kuroo smirked at his mate with a look that said _‘serves you right!’_.

“Yeah, but then Keiji is stronger than all of us if he is sharing pain with Bokuto without mating first.” Sugawara said and now Bokuto was the one blushing, looking back to the ground with a small smile.

“I agree.” Kenma spoke again, happy to not be the main topic right now. “Although they have to had made some sort of connection earlier for that to happen. And probably Keiji’s not even aware of that.”

Bokuto’s eyes widened suddenly and he looked up to his friends. He remembered earlier today when they were running during the shooting and Keiji stopped suddenly. At the time he didn’t think twice about tossing the omega onto his shoulder to get him out of the open field, but then he remembered that Keiji’s hands grasped at his back and suddenly all his senses were perfectly balanced. That and the new sensations he was getting from inside his chest, like worry, fear and doubt, that he knew it was not his own.

“Earlier today…” Bokuto began to speak. “Today when we were running after I grabbed him… I suddenly saw and heard things better. I could see where everyone was, could smell each different scent from the attackers. I also felt the telepathic’s chanting inside my head.” he trailed off while trying to understand everything. “And I haven’t had a headache all day since that either.”

“So you guys probably started a mental connection at that time.” Kenma said. “It balanced your senses and opened a line between you.”

“So a mental bond? Like the one Hajime and I have?” Oikawa asked.

“No, not like that.” Kenma said. “Keiji needs to be aware and willingly start the mental bond. This seems to be a more primal connection. More instinctively than planned.”

“But if only an instinctual connection already does what our own bond does then that means…” Iwaizumi started to say.

“That means we are probably talking about the most powerful sentinel-guide bond anyone has ever seen so far.” Sugawara finished for him.

They all looked at each other. They knew what this meant. 

It was not just that Bokuto had finally found the perfect mate, he also had a chance to become the best sentinel in the country. He could race to the top like no other in the blink of an eye, become part of Tokyo’s Army and even a commander in the future. That could put him in the higher hierarchy possible, even the country council itself!

But it was extremely dangerous as well. Keiji was too powerful and the military might prefer making him disappear then having a super soldier like Bokuto could be someday.

“Man… talk about that fate crap.” Kuroo said and put a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder. “I’m somehow happy for you buddy, but that makes things even more complicated than before.”

“That it does.” Sugawara sighed. “While it is good to have a strong sentinel, it is not the same about having a guide this powerful. Plus, I don’t think Keiji even knows how to deal with his powers.”

“So you believe it is all on instinct? Just like when he woke you guys up?” Asahi asked and the omega nodded.

“How was that anyway?” Oikawa asked. “He suddenly looked like he was in a trance or something, then started to say that you guys were calling but we weren’t listening.”

“That’s because we were calling.” Iwaizumi said and pinched Oikawa’s arm making him jump.

“And you weren’t listening.” Kenma completed and Kuroo hugged him to his chest, bursts of apologies running through their bond.

Sugawara nodded. “I think it has to do with the mental blow we took on the mission last night. After I went to sleep it was as if my mind got trapped somewhere. I could hear and sense the presence of anyone around me, could see the shooting starting and people moving all around like watching from a movie screen. But it didn’t matter how much I tried to wake up or to call for Daichi, my voice couldn’t reach him.”

“It was like something was blocking the way.” Iwaizumi said. “Like some barrier I was trying to punch my way through, but it wouldn’t budge. And I could feel Tooru on the other side as if we were staring through a two faced mirror or something.”

“I think this was what the woman meant when she attacked Keiji.” Kenma mumbled. “She screamed that he had broken something.”

“So the attack last night was to put something inside your heads?” Oikawa asked with a frown.

“No, not like that.” Sugawara shook his head. “I believe that the burst last night was something she didn’t control. But maybe later she noticed that she did something to us and worked to make it stronger so we couldn’t come back on our own.”

“She did look kind of mentally drained today.” Asahi said.

“But what for? Why the three of you?” Kuroo asked.

“She probably felt our connection to you all, especially Suga being the captain’s mate. She must have done it to throw you off your games while waiting for the attack to start.” Kenma said.

“But wouldn’t that require her to know that the camp would be attacked?” Asahi asked. “And if that was their plan, then the rally was our bate? And then why wait until the next day instead of coming at night when everyone was sleeping?”

“I agree with Asahi, we were not the first target.” Iwaizumi said. “I think they came for the prisoners as soon as they realized what happened last night. There were too many people and weapons to just be hidden inside this little town. They probably came from somewhere nearby.”

“So someone fled from us last night and called for help?” Oikawa reasoned.

“Or they felt what was going on.” Kenma said. “That telepathic that came today was strong enough to guide the whole attack, he probably caught the distress signal from the woman’s mental bursts last night.”

“And then he came for her specifically, since her truck was the one they wanted the most.” Asahi finished.

They all stopped talking while repeating all the new perspectives inside their heads. What was supposed to be a chill dinner between friends became a whole brainstorm session and now their minds were working a mile an hour to try understanding everything.

“Well, trust it to us to find a super organized rebel group in the first week of a road mission.” Oikawa said sarcastically and they chuckled.

“One with Professor Xavier leading, don’t forget about that.” Kuroo said with a smirk.

“No, wait!” Oikawa squeaked back at him. “He’s the villain here, so let him be the Phoenix or something! Kei-chan can be Professor Xavier!”

They all laughed and even Kenma snorted a bit, but Bokuto remained silent.

“Do you think Keiji can do the same thing?” Bokuto asked when the others calmed down, all eyes turning to him again. “This level of mental connection, I mean. Do you think he could do it?” he finished looking between Sugawara and Kenma.

“If he is as strong as we’re thinking, then yes, I believe it is possible.” Sugawara said.

“What do you believe, Bo?” Kenma asked him. “If you two are connected this soon then you’re the best one to answer that question.”

Bokuto looked to the ground and went over all the things Keiji said to him since the first time they talked. It was not much per say, but it felt like it carried a deeper meaning than Bokuto had caught in those moments.

“It’s just…” he trailed off a bit. “It’s just something he said to me after he woke up from that coma. He said this place was not safe for him, for them.”

“So he is aware of his power?” Oikawa asked.

“I think he is aware of some of his abilities, but not necessarily its possibilities.” Sugawara said. “I don’t believe he is trained to use his mind as a weapon like we are.”

“But you guys aren’t trained for combat, you were trained for support.” Asahi said with a frown.

“That’s because the military sees us as weak links.” Kenma mumbled. “Imagine what they could do with a telepath like the one that attacked us. They could control entire cities with a handful of them.”

“And coordinate massive attacks in the battlefield.” Iwaizumi nodded. “This could change the way war is managed.”

“But do you think they would risk it, though?” Kuroo asked. “This level of empathy could create real super soldiers, and the telepathy can overthrow the government itself.”

“Kuro’s right, they don’t want to weaponize us.” Kenma said. “It would be too risky. They would kill us before allowing an omega to command anything.” he finished with clear distaste in his voice.

“So that’s why Keiji doesn’t feel safe?” Asahi asked after the silent moment that followed Kenma’s last line. “He thinks the government would have him killed for what he can do?” he finished looking toward Bokuto.

“I don’t know how threatened he’s feeling, He didn’t tell me who or what might be the enemy, he just said that it wasn’t safe.” Bokuto said.

“Can you blame him, though?” Sugawara said to no one specifically. “Ever since he came to the base things just got bad. He had a major seizure, went into a coma, got attacked by other omegas and sentinels, and now almost died in the middle of a shooting just to be attacked by a crazy woman that jumped him out of nowhere.”

“Wow Mister Refreshing, thank you for the summary!” Oikawa scoffed.

“Not to mention you guys did kidnapped him and Yahaba after they were shot down inside Sector C.” Kenma said flatly and Bokuto flinched as if punched.

“Kitten!” Kuro gapped at him from above. “Easy the blow a little. We’re not exactly proud about how things turned out either.”

“Yeah, but let’s face it Kuro.” Kenma said, looking up at his mate. “Their life turned a sudden corner out of nowhere and they were dragged into this mess in the middle of the night. No choices, no questions, no explanations. Just a sudden attack and then waking up inside a sentinel base.”

“It’s not like anyone here had a choice either Ken-chan.” Oikawa said.

“No Oikawa,” Sugawara said in a serious tone. “None of us ever had a choice in anything.” he locked eyes with Kenma in a mutual understanding. “But Kenma and I are still lucky to have this pack. If any of you alphas decides to leave the sentinels, the worst that could happen is a shitty job in the city police. For us it's the breeding center or Sector C, or even death altogether.”

Kuroo suddenly hugged Kenma and left a low growl while everyone else looked wide-eyed toward Sugawara.

“Suga! Don’t say that. Daichi would never let-” Asahi started.

“Daichi cannot fight the whole country by himself, no matter how much he wants to keep me safe.” Sugawara said while looking at Asahi, then he looked toward Kuroo and Kenma. “And neither can Kuroo. And neither can Bokuto if a whole sentinel squad comes to take Keiji.” Bokuto was the one growling now. “Let’s just face it people. No omega is safe, and if this talk we’re just having ends up reaching the higher ranks, then this squad won’t be able to protect anyone.”

“Suga’s right, we have to keep this information as safe as possible.” Iwaizumi said.

“The best we can do now is to get to Fukuoka and lay low for a while. Wait for all this telepath stuff to wear off and try keeping Keiji out of it.” Sugawara added. “Maybe if we can have his trust, Kenma and I can teach him how to keep his power hidden so no one will suspect his potential.”

“That if he stays with us until reaching the base.” Kenma said and they all looked startled at him.

“What do you mean?” Kuroo asked his mate.

“Kenma,” Bokuto started. “Did Keiji tell you he is planning on leaving?”

Kenma sighed and sat up straight, looking seriously at Bokuto.

“He did not tell me anything like that, but I saw Yahaba looking for something inside the truck’s cabin today. It was a paper, probably a map or something.” he said while looking at the alpha’s eyes. “This is not your fault Koutarou, but I think they might be planning an escape. And the only reason I am telling you this now is because I don’t believe they would be safer on the road than in the base with us.”

“Road is definitely not safer, I told Yahaba that already.” Sugawara said to no one in particular. “And if they were looking for a map that means they don’t exactly know the way. Walking around aimlessly is bound to get them caught by the military, and if Keiji really doesn’t know how to control his power, that’s a one way ticket to the electric chair.”

Bokuto stood up and walked to one end of the tent, a hand in his face and the other onto his hip, with his back turned to his friends. He was getting too anxious too fast to stay sit right now.

“Bo, easy there buddy.” Kuroo said kindly to his distressed friend. “None of this needs to happen. We can still protect him.”

“Koutarou, if we work together we can fix this.” Kenma added. “We just need to convince them to stay a while longer. At least until Suga and I can teach him to hide his level of empathy.”

Bokuto sighed and crossed his arms, but did not turn back toward his friends.

“But where would they go anyway?” Oikawa asked. “They cannot be planning on going back to Sector C after what you guys said about the place. Maybe they know a safer place to go?”

“I doubt it.” Kenma said and looked to Oikawa. “Keiji said he was born in that sector. I don’t believe he ever saw anything outside those fences.”

“Freaking hell.” Kuroo mumbled and Kenma held his hand to comfort his mate.

“And there is more.” Iwaizumi started slowly. “Yahaba said something about that friend we left behind and a house with elder people. If they are planning on leaving, I don’t doubt they will try to go back there.”

Sugawara nodded. “I have this feeling too. Hell or not, there is their home. It’s where their family is.”

“But they can’t believe they’ll be able to just run away and go back there.” Kuroo said. “They saw how things are, they know that omegas cannot move around freely. They are aware of that sector’s own fences! How could they think they would be able to go back on their own?”

“Wouldn’t you try it Kuro?” Kenma asked kindly. “If Suga and I were taken away, wouldn’t any of you try to follow or to bring us back? Wouldn’t you and Daichi find a way to come back for us if the places were reversed?”

Kuroo stared at Kenma’s eyes for a moment before answering. “There is no place on this earth I wouldn’t follow you Kitten.”

Kenma smiled. “Then you know I would do the same.” he turned to the others. “I know I would make plans to rescue any of you if I ever needed to.”

“So would I.” Iwaizumi said and held onto Oikawa’s hand. “Life threatening or not, this pack stands together.”

“And seeing how Yahaba and Keiji protect each other…” Sugawara said with a sigh. “How they’re always looking after each other's backs, how they make sure both have eaten, how they walk and talk together, even their sleeping positions tells me that they have the same bond we have.”

“They have a pack of their own.” Asahi finished everyone's thought.

They fell silent again while the weight of everything settled inside their minds and hearts. Oikawa held Iwaizumi’s hands harder, knowing that his boyfriend blamed himself for ever letting Kyoutani get inside Sector C. Kenma knew the same thing hovered over Kuroo’s head, since all he ever wanted was for his best friend to be safe, but the mess it caused is bigger than anything they could have ever imagined. He scooted back onto Kuroo’s lap and hugged the alpha’s chest, feeling a kiss on top of his head.

“I’m going to take them back.” Bokuto said after a while and turned to face the others again. “I’m taking Keiji and Yahaba back to Sector C if they want to. I’ll make sure they get there safe.”

“Wow there Bo, hold that for a second.” Kuroo looked at him. “You cannot do that now. That’s desertion and we won’t be able to cover for you with the squad this full.”

“No, hear me out.” Bokuto said with a hand up. “I’m going to do this right so they won’t face any risks. I will go talk to Keiji and tell him that I will take him back if he wants me to, but I’ll ask him to wait until the squad reaches Fukuoka. After the other sentinels leave the squad, Daichi can assign me to a delivery mission in Tokyo and I’ll use that as cover to go back and take them with me. Then I’ll find a way to sneak them through the fence.”

Kenma nodded, his mind working on Bokuto's plan for loopholes. “That might work. And in the meantime Suga and I can teach Keiji how to hide his power. That may help him to stay out of trouble after going back to the sector.”

“What about Kyou-ken-chan?” Oikawa asked. “Do you believe he will let Yahaba-chan just pack up and leave?”

“Look, I won’t stand in their way if Kyoutani tries to befriend Yahaba.” Bokuto said. “But I also promised Keiji and Yahaba that they would be safe here. If Yahaba ever tells me to keep Kyoutani away from him, then I will. And if he wants to go back with Keiji, then I’m sorry, but Kyoutani won’t have a say in it.”

They got silent again. Iwaizumi shook his head with a sigh and rubbed his forehead. Sugawara was biting his lips anxiously.

“And what about you, Bokuto?” Asahi broke the silence again. “Will you find yourself another mate after letting Keiji go?”

Bokuto shook his head instantly. “No. Keiji is my mate, no matter where he wants to go.”

“And what does that mean now?!” Kuroo asked frustrated. “Are you planning on leaving the sentinels and going with him to Sector C? Don’t you think someone will recognize an alpha there?”

Bokuto sighed. “Of course not Kuroo, that would only put him in danger. Plus, I’m more useful to him from the outside. How else would I bring food, clothes and such for them every time I travel to Tokyo?”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Oikawa raised his hand in the air. “So you’re not only planning on getting them back there, but also supporting them in a place highly guarded day and night?”

“Of course!” Bokuto raised an eyebrow as if the subject was obvious. “I can’t just let them starve there! And if I get food for them, they won’t need to fight for it and risk being caught in the Hunt again!”

“Heavens, Bokuto!” Kuroo said. “I can’t even begin to count how many things can go wrong with all of this!”

“And that still doesn’t answer my question.” Asahi said again. “You cannot be a sentinel without a guide any longer, Bokuto. This mental connection you’re both sharing won’t hold forever, especially if Keiji goes away, and your condition won’t get any better!”

“I’ll just go back to the meds.” Bokuto dismissed the subject with a wave.

“You have to be kidding me!” Kuroo jumped to his feet before Kenma could stop him. “After all that crap about fated mates, about your other half, about saving your mate from Sector C! Are you telling me you’re just giving up on mating him!?”

Bokuto blinked confused toward Kuroo who was angrily facing him.

“Hum, no?” he said. “I’m not saying I won’t ask Keiji out. I just said that if he doesn't want me as a mate, I still want him as a friend. And I would protect him all the same.”

“Can’t you just go there and seduce him, Bo-chan?” Oikawa whined from the ground while tossing his head back childish. “You just seduce Kei-chan, Mad Dog seduces Yahaba-chan, and we find a way to bring their third friend to the squad! Done, everyone’s happy!”

“You talk like that would be easy.” Sugawara snorted.

“I’m not seducing Keiji.” Bokuto stated matter of fact. “I want him to love me like I love him. I won’t touch him before he tells me he wants me to.”

A second of silence happened before everyone exploded together.

“For all heavens, why do you need to be this good!?” Kuroo cried out while pulling his own messy hair.

“You’re too good for this world Koutarou.” Kenma said with a smile.

“I agree, never change man.” Iwaizumi said.

“God I feel so impure right now! That was too cheesy!” Oikawa whined and dramatically laid back on the ground.

“That’s it! I’m going to Keiji right now and I’m dragging him here! You guys need a candle-lighted dinner and some flowers! Move people, we have a marriage to plan!” Sugawara said while jumping to his feet and moving to leave the tent.

The others started laughing when Bokuto’s face went bright red and he ran toward the silver haired omega, circling his arms around the other’s waist and picking him up before turning inside and carrying the omega back.

“No Suga! Don’t do it! I’m not ready!” Bokuto cried loudly.

“Put me down you buffoon! I’m not letting you pine for a second longer!” Sugawara said while kicking his legs in the air.

Suddenly the tent was being opened and Daichi marched inside with a serious face. He stopped for a second and looked around before sighing and walking further inside.

“I’m not even going to ask.” the captain said and walked past them toward the papers stacked on the corner of the tent.

Sugawara tapped at Bokuto’s arm to be put down and the alpha released him. He walked toward his mate and touched his shoulder.

“Hey Dai, you’re tense. Everything alright?”

“No, it is not.” he sighed before looking toward everyone. “Good to see you all in good moods, but I’m afraid we have new orders. Go pack up the camp, we’re moving in thirty minutes.”

_________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! How's everyone?
> 
> Well, no much for me to talk about this chapter, just that I hope you enjoyed it! Things are moving forward, people are trying to understand what's happening, and Bo's the best creature to walk the face of earth. Period.
> 
> Oh! I finished chapter 15 and started 16 already! Yay me!
> 
> Hope you all have a good week, see you next sunday!


	14. The Chance to Fulfill a Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You could at least have kept track of it, Lazy-Mother!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOOD MORNING! Early chapter for you all!
> 
> I won't be at home today, and I didn't want to delay the chapter since I promised everyone that it would be posted, so I'm using my early-bird skills and posting it before leaving (it's currently 5:11am where I live).   
> Oh, and if you are anything like me... grab some tissues...
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Side note:  
> > Ba-chan = auntie;  
> > Baa-chan = grandma

November 12th - 8:00 pm - Sentinel’s Camp

“What do you mean we leave in thirty minutes?” Bokuto heard Sugawara asking. “Half the camp is already sleeping, you are almost crashing yourself! How do you think we can move now? Can’t it wait until morning?”

“I don’t think anything Suga, and I am plenty aware of all of that.” Daichi said while rubbing between his eyes. “I tried to convince the commander to let us rest at least until dawn, but he said that either we hit the road in the next hour, or he’ll send a new captain to do it.”

Sugawara’s face paled and he hugged his mate’s back, sending calm pheromones to soothe the stressed alpha. Everyone was on their feet now, the previous mood long forgotten.

“Talk to us Daichi, what is going on?” Asahi asked.

The captain sighed. “Commander was somehow pleased that the plan to use us as bait worked to lure a group of rebels, but he is not happy that we let some of them escape. And more than anything he is furious with me for not sending a team in pursuit.”

“But did he even know how many injured we had? How many weapons and men the attackers had!? We couldn’t go running after them without more intel, they could have killed us all.” Iwaizumi said furiously.

“My full report specified all of that, but since when do they care?” Daichi said sarcastically and Sugawara gave a small kiss at the back of his neck. “Apparently they managed to get the rebels' movement with satellite images. They’re heading south and we’re going to follow them.”

“So they want us to give chase now?” Kuroo said. “We’re at least half day behind. This could lead us all to an ambush!”

“Is the office this done with us that they’re sending us to a slaughter?” Oikawa asked while crossing his arms. “We have a bunch of injured people, and the prisoners! We cannot move fast with all this extra weight.”

“That’s another thing.” Daichi said and moved back to retrieve a stash of papers. “Orders are to split up the squad. Prisoners are being moved back to Tokyo for interrogation, wounded sentinels are being moved further to the sentinel watch post in Nagoya, the rest is chasing after the rebels.”

They got silent before anyone could say something that would be regretted later. They were all angry now. Not only would they be moving in the middle of the night, chasing after dangerous people, but they were also losing men for the task, since they will need healthy people to take the injured and the prisoners away.

“So we’ll have a great chance in being outnumbered on this. Yeah, guess they’re really trying to have us killed.” Kuroo snarled and hugged Kenma’s shoulders.

“That’s another reason to move fast and get to them before they can regroup further.” Daichi said and gave a paper to his mate. “Suga, this is the list of injured sentinels that will be moving to Nagoya. Shimizu is fine but still a little out after the damage from last night, so I am putting her in charge of this group. I need you to gather the omegas from the ones in this list and send them to pack their mate’s stuff for the road; they will be using trucks five and seven. Tell Evelyn she will be in charge of the omegas during this time.

“Alright then, I’ll make sure everyone’s ready.” Sugawara said while looking at the list. “Which ones do you want to send with the prisoners?”

“Just Akiteru, since Saeko’s the one driving.” Daichi answered while moving around more sheets of paper.

They all stopped to stare with wide eyes.

“Wait…” Iwaizumi started. “Saeko’s one of our best soldiers. We might need her on this! Why would you send her back to Tokyo now?”

“Because I don’t have a choice!” Daichi snapped at them before sighing an apology and pinching between his eyes. “Those are the orders. Saeko was the one leading the mission last night, so the commander wants to interrogate her about everything. He ordered it to be her to take the prisoners back while the rest of us go after the fugitives. I’ll send three more sentinels with her for backup, but commander already dispatched a team to meet her half way and escort them to Tokyo’s Army headquarters.” he finished in a lower voice.

“So we’re going outnumbered and minus Tanaka’s beast.” Oikawa grumbled. “Peachy!”

Daichi was about to say more but stopped when he looked up toward his friends. They were all sporting angry faces, but as soon as the captain looked at Bokuto, he saw more concern than anything else.

“What’s wrong Bokuto?” Daichi asked. “I thought you would be the one throwing curses around right now, what got you this quiet?”

Bokuto snapped his eyes up. “Hum… I was thinking,” he trailed off. “Can you send more people to Nagoya? I mean… maybe Keiji and Yahaba can help Shimizu there.”

They all stared at each other.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Asahi asked. “After what we were talking about, are you certain you want to risk them being out of our sight?”

Daichi blinked confused but Sugawara held his hand with a nod that signaled that they would talk about that later.

“No, maybe it is not the best way but…” Bokuto sighed. “Look, I think I can convince Keiji to stay put while we take care of the mission. I’m just not fine with the idea of taking him anywhere close to that telepath again.”

“Bo’s not wrong, Keiji definitely had some sort of connection with the telepath during the attack.” Kenma said for the first time since this new conversation began. “Although, he could find the target's presence much faster than any of us.”

Bokuto looked startled toward Kenma but Sugawara was the one to speak. “But Keiji and Yahaba aren’t used to combat as we are, this will be dangerous for them.”

“Hold on a minute, aren’t you guys being a little over protective?” Oikawa said. “As far as I saw until now, Kei-chan and Yahaba-chan can hold their ground pretty well. Plus, as I was told, they did wipe the ground with all your asses that night in the sector.” he finished with a smirk.

“That’s different Tooru.” Iwaizumi sighed. “In Sector C they knew the terrain, they had strategy and experience. Out here people have guns and vehicles in a probable open-field war, they’re not ready for this.”

“I’m not saying that we should throw them in the middle of a gunshot, I’m just saying that they may be able to do well behind the lines.” Oikawa crossed his arms.

“I hate to say this, but I agree with Trash King here.” Kuroo said and then smirked when Oikawa squawked at him. “Those two aren’t stupid, they can hold their own. And no one’s expecting them to fight today.”

“Guys!” Bokuto said loudly. “I’m not saying Keiji’s weak! Hell, I bet he can take me out in a one on one! But that telepath creeps me out, and Keiji seems to be more sensitive than anyone in that matter.”

“Especially since you wouldn’t fight him at all if you two go for a sparring match, you sappy bastard!” Kuroo smirked and delivered a slap on Bokuto's back making him whine.

“I don’t think Keiji would be impressed if you lose on purpose.” Kenma told Bokuto.

“I wouldn’t! I love challenges! And I wouldn’t disrespect him like that!” Bokuto screamed toward Kenma.

“Just challenge him to a chess match then.” Oikawa smirked. “No one will deny your disadvantage.”

Kuroo left his hyena laugh when Bokuto lunged for Oikawa and the other screamed for his hair not to be touched.

“Enough you idiots, we’re losing time.” Daichi snapped at them without anger, the mood still heavy but somehow better. “I’m sorry Bokuto, but I can’t send them with Shimizu. Commander was pretty specific about not sending a single non-injured sentinel to Nagoya, and the only omegas allowed to go are the sentinel’s empaths. The resident doctor at the post will be conducting exams to make sure everyone that gets there is truly in need of treatment, we cannot risk sending anyone else.”

“Wow, they surely don’t trust us at all, huh.” Asahi said sarcastically.

“Where’s the surprise in there?” Daichi said in the same tone. “I can’t send them with Saeko either, although I don’t believe that’s what you want.” he looked toward Bokuto.

“No!” Bokuto shook his head without a blink, certainty clear in his voice. “Keiji will only step inside Tokyo if I’m with him.”

Daichi nodded. “Very well, that settles it then.” He looked at the others. “Let’s move people, we lost too much time with this. Go pack your things as fast as you can, then go around the camp and make sure the others are doing the same.”

“Yes Sir!” they all said and started to move away. Sugawara called Kenma to follow him to put the other omegas to work, but Bokuto ran after them both.

“Kenma, wait!” the alpha said in a hurry. “Can you please keep an eye on Keiji and Yahaba? Just make sure they won’t run away before I can talk to them. I’ll be there as soon as I finish helping Kuroo load our truck.”

“Sure, I was about to do that already.” Kenma nodded. “But are you sure you want to have this conversation with him now? They might not take well the fact that we know about their plan.”

Bokuto blinked at him. “I won’t lie to Keiji, Kenma. Neither will I ever hide things from him. If I know something about his plans I’ll talk to him about it, even if he doesn’t want me to.”

Kenma blinked back at him before smiling. “You’re definitely too good for this world Koutarou. Please, never change that.” And they parted ways to follow their current orders.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, considering we are going to Fukuoka since we left Tokyo, and I don’t think we passed these hills yet…” Yahaba said while pointing to a place on the map he stole. “Then I believe we’re somewhere around… here.” he finished circling a big area with his finger on the paper.

Keiji sighed by his side. “That’s not really reassuring.”

“Hey! Maybe I could do better if we actually knew where we are!” Yahaba shout-whispered. “But I don’t think you saw a road sign anywhere, have you?”

“You know I didn’t, stop being so grumpy!” Keiji said back. “I’m not saying this is your fault, it’s just that we’re bound to get lost if we leave with just this level of intel.”

“I know…” Yahaba sighed while rubbing his forehead. “It also doesn’t help that this map shows more terrain than roads and cities. It only has the main roads and some side-ones here, and I’m pretty sure we’re currently in one of the inner ones.”

Keiji sighed again and laid on his back to look at the stars above them, Yahaba folded the map and put it inside his shirt before doing the same. They were in a little slope on the edge of the omega’s side-camp, hidden from other people but still close enough to hear for sudden calls or noises that could show someone was looking for them. Their sleeping bags were set in place, filled with a few rocks to look like they were sleeping inside.

Most of the omegas were already sleeping when they came back from the medical truck with their dinner, so they used the chance to find some privacy to study their map and a possible escape route. But as they realized, things were not exactly as they hoped it was. First, they didn’t know where they were, and the map could be of little help without that knowledge. Then there was the fact that the longer they took to leave, the harder it would be, not only because they could get farther away from Tokyo, but also because the weather was changing faster now, and the first chills of a winter breeze was hovering over them.

They had food stashed to last three days to normal people, which with them could become two to three weeks, so that wasn’t exactly concerning for now. However, they were not prepared for winter, and if it took any longer for them to leave, they could end up frozen in a ditch somewhere along the road. And Yaku wouldn't like that, that’s for sure. Plus, if they get lost, someone could easily find them. Not to say that they still had no idea on how to pass through all the checkpoints Yahaba said he saw when leaving Tokyo.

“I don’t like to be the negative type, but I don’t think our escape plan is going well right now.” Yahaba said after they spent several minutes in silence facing the stars.

“You and I both.” Keiji whispered as a reply and his right fingers went to lightly brush the bandage on his left arm.

Yahaba saw the movement. “How’re you feeling?” he asked in a low voice.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Keiji said. “I guess I was just tired earlier. And the medicine is really helping the burning feeling for now.”

“How did she burn you anyway?” Yahaba lifted himself on one elbow to look toward Keiji. “I didn’t see her holding anything when she lunged toward you.”

“I don’t know, it was like…” Keiji trailed off, “It’s like it wasn’t her exactly, but kind of a reaction.”

“A reaction?” Yahaba looked at him with a frown.

“Yeah…” Keiji frowned too. “I remember feeling my head pretty full of stuff. Like with thoughts and feelings that were not all mine. And when she touched me… It was like something else came to barge inside, but since there was no space…” he trailed off again.

“So you think that it kind of exploded? Like a pressure cooker?” Yahaba asked.

“I have no idea of what that is.” Keiji deadpanned at him.

“Right…” Yahaba chuckled. “Anyway, it kind of snapped? Like a barrier or something that avoided her getting inside your head?”

“Maybe?” Keiji sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Dammit, I hate this, Morisuke would know the answer.”

They got quiet on the mention of their friend. Yaku was a topic they were unconsciously avoiding since this road mission began, too scared to talk about how the other might be handling their absence back in Sector C. Yahaba laid back down by Keiji’s side and they remained silent for a while longer.

“You know,” Yahaba said later on. “I do believe he’s fine. At least physically fine.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Keiji left a little smile. “Although I’m more worried about the hell he must be conjuring without us there.”

“Do you think he already took down the fence and started a revolution to get us back?” Yahaba smirked looking at Keiji.

“I believe he might have already dismantled a building or two while throwing its bricks at the gate’s guards.” Keiji said and they both laughed with the image.

“I miss him.” Keiji whispered after a while.

“I know, me too.” Yahaba said. “I can’t shake this feeling that he would know what to do better than I do. Like I need to get my shit together and take you back to him before things get worse.”

“Sorry, that’s…” Keiji sighed. “That’s not your fault and it shouldn’t be your burden. It’s because with Yaku away, you’re the closer pack member I have. That’s why you’re feeling responsible for keeping me safe.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but in case you haven’t realized until now,” Yahaba frowned at him, “since you guys saved me, your safety became my responsibility as well. It is not a burden, we take care of each other.”

“I know, it’s just… It’s different now.” Keiji said frustrated and sat himself up, hugging his legs and resting his chin on top of his knees. Yahaba saw the telltale of Keiji’s anxiety and sat up too, not touching him but staying by his side in silence while waiting for Keiji to speak when he is ready.

“Have I ever told you about Saya-ba-chan?” Keiji asked in a whisper after a few minutes of silence.

“Yaku’s mother?” Yahaba asked and Keiji nodded. “Well, you guys mentioned her before, but never much really.”

“Saya-ba-chan was almost as a mother to me as she was Morisuke’s.” Keiji smiled sadly. “She raised us both since birth, which was when I lost mine.”

Yahaba swallowed with a sad expression but said nothing while waiting for Keiji to continue.

“I don’t know exactly why, at least no one ever told me directly, but Saya-ba-chan was responsible for my mother, like her keeper, and when mom died giving birth to me, she became my keeper.” Keiji sighed. “Growing up, I remember her telling me that I didn’t need to worry myself about anything, that someday everything would make sense, that eventually she would tell me everything.”

“But she never did?” Yahaba whispered the question.

Keiji slowly shook his head and a stray tear rolled down his face. “She died when I was ten. That winter was particularly strong and a flu spread through the sector. One night we went to sleep… but she never woke up.” Keiji gulped and Yahaba scooted closer to him, passing an arm around his shoulders and bringing Keiji’s head to rest against his own.

“Morisuke and I lived with Hana-baa-chan for a while.” Keiji continued. “But that was when I noticed him becoming more protective of me. He needed to know where I was all the time, made sure I ate, made sure I had warm clothes, made sure I was sleeping properly and more. Everything that could be done in that sector for survival, he made sure I had it, just like his mother had done for us both before.”

“But do you really think there was a reason behind all this?” Yahaba asked. “You were his last family, maybe he just didn’t want to lose you too.”

“He was my last family too and I always tried to take care of him as much as he took care of me, but there was just something different, something about the way he behaved that showed me something else was going on.” Keiji sighed. “I tried to talk to Hana-baa-chan about that too, and the outcome was the same. She just smiled and told me to be patient, that everything would make sense in the end. I think that they were all just waiting for something.”

“What could they be waiting for?” Yahaba asked, confused.

“I don’t know.” Keiji said frustrated. “It’s just that… every time I had a nightmare, Saya-ba-chan would sit and listen while I recounted it to her. She would listen and ask questions about it, as if she was trying to understand their meaning or something. After she passed, Morisuke started to do the same, but he wasn’t like her, he didn’t get everything neither knew all the answers. He was a child too for crying out loud.” 

Keiji stood up angry, taking deep breaths to try soothe the frustration he was feeling and Yahaba only looked around to make sure no one could see them.

“Eventually I stopped telling him about my nightmares because I could see how frustrated he would get.” Keiji said after a couple minutes. “It was about that time that you joined us, and it somehow seemed to get better, like since then he would have someone else to share the burden of keeping me alive.”

“Keiji…” Yahaba whined. “I told you that you’re not-”

“But I am!” Keiji cut Yahaba’s line, raising his voice in frustration. “I was Saya-ba-chan’s burden, I was Morisuke’s, and now I’m yours! And since I keep having nightmares and headaches, and now everything just seems to want to attack me, you are being weighted with a responsibility that shouldn’t be yours!”

Yahaba remained quiet so Keiji could continue, this outburst being so unusual to him that it would be better to just put everything out anyway.

“And the worst is that deep down I do know why.” Keiji said. “I know why I’m different, I know why I need to stay away from the army, I know why we were all supposed to keep waiting hidden in that damn sector.” he sighed and pinched between his eyes. “But all this knowledge is actually just a feeling that I can’t put into words, like it’s someone else’s. The only thing I do know is my own name, and I don’t know if the other answers will someday just pop inside my head or if Morisuke will finally tell me the meaning of all this.”

“So you think he actually knows why?” Yahaba asked. “It is not just like instinct to him?”

Keiji shook his head with a sigh. “I think Saya-ba-chan told him the reason.”

“Why would she tell him and not you? He’s just a year older!” Yahaba frowned.

“I feel like she told him for safekeeping in case she wasn’t around to tell me later.” Keiji sat back down dejected. “And Morisuke just followed whatever it is that she was doing, waiting for the same thing she was wanting for.” he sighed again. “I deep down understand that she just didn’t want me to worry about things, but instead she ended up making her own son hold the weight by himself.”

Yahaba was about to say more but stopped when Keiji spoke again. 

“And now somehow this weight is yours.” Keiji looked at Yahaba. “This urge you’re feeling is not normal, it’s something putting on your shoulders the task of keeping me alive. It is the same thing that is bringing Bokuto, Sugawara-san, Kenma and Iwaizumi-san closer to me! This is something turning me into all of yours’ burden to keep!”

“Keiji!” Yahaba snapped angrily at him while grabbing his shoulder. “Stop this nonsense! We are family! You’re not a burden!”

“But I am!” Keiji said back, tears streaming down his face suddenly. “My head is a mess, I can feel everyone around me! I can feel the ones that hate us and the ones that don’t! I can feel an enemy growing closer by the days but I don’t know where to go to avoid it!” he clenched at Yahaba’s sleeves. “I can feel danger coming near, and I know that you and the others will try to keep it away for me, but I can’t shook away the knowledge that you’ll all die doing it!” he finished while sobbing.

Yahaba pulled Keiji into a bone-crushing hug and they cried together while holding each other tightly. The weight of everything crashed on them as if the world was trying to crush them in one hit. But Yahaba remained there with his silent tears streaming down while Keiji’s sobs wet his shoulder and neck.

“Now you listen to me,” Yahaba said after several minutes. “I don’t know what you think this means or what you believe destiny has stored for any of us. What I do know is that you are my brother! You are not my burden, you are my family! I will keep you safe because you and Yaku are the ones that gave me a chance on being part of something worth fighting for, and I will be damned before I let anyone take you guys away from me.”

“Shigeru…” Keiji mumbled but Yahaba cut him.

“No! We’ll get this sorted out. We’ll go home to our friend and we’ll do it together!” Yahaba said. “I love you Keiji, and that’s the reason I’ll protect you, not because you believe destiny told me to!”

Keiji sobbed harder and they both remained in each other’s arms for a while longer. The night had a winter chill running around but they paid it no mind, finding comfort in their embrace. Several minutes passed before they moved again, and that was only because they heard noise coming from the omegas’ campsite.

“What on earth is going on now?” Yahaba asked when they could hear Sugawara’s voice telling people to wake up.

“We’re leaving.” Keiji said with a frown. “Squad got orders to move.”

“How the hell do you know?” Yahaba raised an eyebrow to what Keiji only deadpanned at. “Right… your creepy telepathy acting up…” he scoffed and Keiji playfully shoved his arm before standing up.

“Come on before they notice we're not in our sleeping bags.” Keiji said and they both left their hiding spot to get back to their things.

“Hey,” Yahaba said while lightly bumping their shoulders together. “Don’t worry, we got this, you and me, together.”

Keiji smiled. “Thank you Shigeru.”

“Don’t mention it!”

They went back to their sleeping bags practically at the same moment Kenma was approaching it too. He looked toward them and then to their supposedly sleeping forms.

“I was going to wake you up, we need to go.” Kenma told them slowly, looking up to see Keiji nodding and Yahaba smirking. “Where were you guys?” he asked with a suspicious expression.

“Bathroom break!” Yahaba answered with a big false smile.

“Together?” Kenma raised an eyebrow.

“Keiji’s scared of the dark!” Yahaba said proudly to what Keiji scowled at.

“And apparently Yahaba-san doesn’t know how to tie his pants properly.” Keiji bit back and Yahaba squeaked outraged and shoved his friend's shoulder.

Kenma looked like he didn’t believe that in the slightest, but he just sighed and let it go. He motioned toward the place where Sugawara was gathering the omegas to divide the chores for the moving.

“Come on, we have to pack everything, captain said we’re moving again.” Kenma said annoyed and began to walk away.

“Right! We’re right behind you!” Yahaba said and they both passed by their sleeping bags, skillfully emptying the rocks and leaving only the supplies they gathered at the bottom of it. They folded it in seconds and pulled the straps up their heads and across their chests, letting it rest on their backs as they followed behind Kenma.

“You don’t need to carry those around, you know?” Kenma said with an eyebrow raised. “You can just put it along with all the others, there’s plenty for everyone.”

“Heh, we don’t mind!” Yahaba waved his hand in dismissal. “I actually wanna try using it as a back-pillow, you know? For all the bumping inside the truck while we’re riding!”

Kenma just hummed and ignored them, reaching the spot where Sugawara was organizing the omegas in groups.

“Alright!” They heard Sugawara speaking. “Everyone I just called from the list gather your supplies and move to pack your mates’ things to go to Nagoya.” he gave a sheet of paper to a girl by his side. “Evelyn, since Sentinel Shimizu is leading the group, you’ll be responsible for the omega party. This is everyone, so make sure everything is on track on the road there and then put everyone to work at the post with the staff from there. Got it?”

“Nagoya?” Keiji whispered as the girl nodded to Sugawara’s orders and dismissed the group, walking away toward the trucks. He was trying to remember where this particular name had appeared on the map they were analyzing earlier.

“Yeah, we’ll split the squad. The injured are being sent to a Sentinel watch post in Nagoya while we’re going a little further after the target.” Kenma said.

“Target? You mean the people from this morning?” Yahaba asked.

“Yeah, some of them, at least.” Kenma looked at them and saw doubt all over their features. “Don’t worry, this time we’ll be the ones making the surprise attack. And you guys will probably stand behind the line.”

“Exactly, and now that you’re onboard I need to go back to help Daichi with the command tent.” Sugawara said while approaching them after dispatching another group of omegas to dismantled the tents. “Can I trust you three with the omega’s camp site?” he asked while looking at Kenma.

“Sure, we’ll handle it.” Kenma murmured. 

“Great, let’s move then! We’ll be leaving in twenty!” Sugawara said and stared walking away with determination.

“Isn’t he a little too excited?” Yahaba asked Kenma with a scowl.

Kenma sighed and shook his head. “He’s actually worried. Commander wasn’t pleased with Daichi about how things ended this morning, and now we have to make this work so we don’t get in more trouble.”

They started to move after that, with Kenma telling the other two what to do and how to pack things. Turns out that packing the omega’s camp wasn’t only putting down the bonfire and folding the sleeping bags, but also loading the supply truck with the meal’s utensils, the pots and pans, the leftovers and such. Which also meant that they had to walk around the whole squad to see if anyone had not delivered their bowl back after dinner. Some of the omegas brought some of those back from the packing on their mate’s things, but Keiji and Kenma ended up making rounds to look for any missing dish while Yahaba said he would load the boxes on the supply truck.

_He is probably using that as an excuse to steal more food into our sleeping bags._ Keiji thought to himself while walking around the ruckus that had become of the squad’s camp.

“Keiji!” A familiar voice came from behind when he was gathering the bowls and chopsticks from near one of the sentinel’s tents, turning around to see the alpha jogging toward him from the fourth truck parked on the line.

“Evening Bokuto-san, how can I help you?” Keiji asked in a neutral voice.

“Hey! I… hum… I want to talk to you about something!” Bokuto said with an anxious expression.

“Oh, I thought we were in a hurry.” Keiji told him. “I’m sorry, but I still need to get these back to wash and put away for the road.” he said while showing the dishes he was holding.

“I know! And we are, but…” Bokuto’s hand went to mess his hair in a frustrated way. “Look, it’s important, so please hear me out!”

Keiji nodded slowly and Bokuto motioned for them to walk a little away from where people were walking around so they could have at least some kind of privacy.

“Okay… so…” Bokuto started in a low voice. “I know what you and Yahaba are planning.”

Keiji took a couple of steps back in a surprised reaction. “You… you what?”

“Look, it’s fine.” Bokuto reached out but stopped himself from touching the other. “I’m not mad or anything! I just… Kenma said that he saw you guys taking a paper from the truck earlier, probably a map, and we think you might be planning an escape.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Bokuto-san.” Keiji’s voice was now completely neutral, even if his mind was running a thousand miles per second. “I’m sorry, but I really need to take these back.” he said and started to walk away.

“No! Please wait!” Bokuto said loudly and grabbed Keiji’s elbow to stop him. The omega flinched and looked at him with wide eyes. “Shit! Look, I’m sorry! Just let me finish!” the alpha said with his hands now up in the air.

Keiji only nodded and Bokuto took that as a chance to continue. “Keiji I… I understand. What you’re going through, what all this mess might look in your eyes, but…” he took a deep breath, “Do you remember what I promised you before?”

Keiji nodded again, still silent, so Bokuto continued. “I will stand by it Keiji, I will keep you safe, even if I have to get you guys out of here myself.”

Keiji had been trying to avoid Bokuto’s eyes, but that last sentence made him look back at the alpha’s face. Blue met gold and they stared at each other for a moment before Bokuto sighed.

“But leaving now… Keiji, that’s desertion.” Bokuto ran a hand through his hair. “Even if I go with you it’s dangerous. For me is martial law, dishonorable discharge or something like that, maybe a few years in prison even.” he faced Keiji seriously. “But for you guys it’s the electric chair, death penalty, do you understand me?”

Keiji swallowed dry. He understood that, but staying was as dangerous as running away. “Bokuto-san… I-”

“I’ll take you back!” Bokuto blurted and Keiji took another step away as a reaction. “I will take you back to Tokyo, to Sector C! I’m sorry that I took you away from your family, from your pack! I was a selfish idiot with a hero complex, so I’ll take you back if you really want me to.” he finished slowly.

Keiji could feel his eyes filling with unwelcomed tears. The mention of his family, the apology, but above all, the sadness in the alpha’s eyes when he said it all made his heart ache in a sudden way that hasn’t felt ever before.

Bokuto saw the tiniest movement on the omega’s hands and realized that Keiji was trembling, so lightly that it could be brushed away as nothing, especially since his face remained completely neutral. The alpha reached out slowly, taking the dishes away and putting it on the ground before looking back at him. Keiji’s eyes were now following Bokuto’s hands and did not flinch when he went to take his own.

Bokuto tried not to smile when Keiji didn’t refuse him touching his hands. He took the omega’s hands in his own, slightly running his thumb on top of it to ease the previous trembling.

“Can you please just wait a little longer?” Bokuto asked slowly, looking at Keiji’s eyes while still caressing his hands. The omega looked back at him before he continued. “After this mission is over and the squad reaches Fukuoka to complete the sentinels’ transfers, then I can make Daichi put me on some errand in Tokyo. This way I can take you with me and sneak you back into Sector C. It will be safer this way, the road is too dangerous now with all the military moving around looking for rebels like the ones from this morning.”

Keiji swallowed again as an attempt to speak, but his eyes still couldn’t move away from Bokuto’s. “I… I’m sorry but… that might be too late.” he said, not really understanding why he was basically admitting to be planning to run away.

“Why?” Bokuto frowned. “I know that things might look scary right now but…” and then it came to his mind, “Are you feeling threatened? Did someone threaten you Keiji!?” his golden eyes widened and he looked around with a low growl to find whoever made Keiji feel that way.

“No!” Keiji said and reached a hand out, slightly touching his fingers against Bokuto’s cheek so that he would turn those golden globes toward him again. The alpha froze on the spot, eyes wide and face slowly turning toward Keiji again, who had just realized his own actions and became a blushing mess. “Sorry!”

Bokuto’s own hand shot up to hold Keiji’s in place, cradling it lovingly and avoiding the loss of contact against his cheek. He looked at Keiji’s eyes to see a sparkle of moonlight shining through that sea of blue when it collided with his own sparkles of gold. A breeze of cold wind blew around them, whispering the _cooing_ sound of birds somewhere, and Bokuto began to slowly close the distance between them, moving as if being pulled by a silent spell was just casted between both of them.

Keiji didn’t make a sound, not even a whisper while the alpha got closer to him. His own hand moving slowly to cradle behind the alpha’s head. He couldn’t tear his sight from the golden eyes that were approaching, now half-closed just like his own blue ones. Keiji’s breath caught on his throat when Bokuto’s lips were about to capture his and-

_“Kilo to Bravo, where the hell you ran off to!?”_

They jumped away from each other with pounding hearts and bright red faces. The radio tied onto Bokuto’s belt was echoing voices calling for the alpha’s location, and suddenly all the sounds were louder, from the breath of the wind on the trees to the noises from the trucks being loaded.

Keiji turned around so that the alpha could not see his embarrassed face. What the hell was he about to do!? How did things end up like that! He could not get this close to Bokuto, the alpha just told him that their whole plan was busted even before it started! How could he just go and almost-

_“Alright, you could at least respond! I hope you haven't forgotten to turn your radio on again!”_ Kuroo’s voice came again from the radio.

 _“He might just be using the bathroom before departure.”_ Now it was Oikawa’s voice that came through. _“Or you know… maybe doing more interesting things with a certain someone-”_ his speech was cut by the sound of a slap.

“I’m going to kill them…” Keiji heard Bokuto grumbling from behind him. 

He fixed his face and turned slightly to look at the alpha, gaze avoiding the golden eyes while the other did the exact same thing. They were at least four or five steps away from each other now, Keiji looking toward the ground while Bokuto scratched his head while looking at the dark sky.

“So… yeah, hum… good talk!” Bokuto mumbled, still not looking at Keiji.

“Yes… sure…” Keiji responded awkwardly and gazed at the dishes he was carrying before, getting closer to it and bending down to take it in his hands again. “I should, hum… I should head back now… I still have to wash these.”

“Oh yes, let me walk you back!” Bokuto said and moved to take the dishes from Keiji’s hand.

“You really don’t need to!” Keiji said while clutching to the dishes.

“Ah, it’s just…” Bokuto trailed off while scratching the back of his neck. “I kind of kept you away from your chores during the squad departure so… its better if I take you back myself you know, so that you won’t take the blame or anything.”

“Oh, that’s kind of you to offer.” Keiji said and Bokuto showed him another blinding smile.

“Not at all!” The alpha said and motioned for them to walk back to the omegas’ side, but he didn’t try to take the dishes from Keiji again, to which the omega was grateful. They managed to take a few steps before the radio screeched again.

_“BRAVO! I swear to God I’m gonna leave you behind!”_

Bokuto fumbled with the radio as he tried to take it from his belt while grumbling that Kuroo was not his best friend anymore. Keiji couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the scene.

“Wouldn't it be better if you just answer?” Keiji asked with a side smile.

“Well maybe he shouldn’t be screaming in my ear! I packed my things already!” Bokuto said, managing to get the radio out.

_“BRAVO!”_

“I’m going!” Bokuto yelled into the radio and Keiji chuckled again.

“BOKUTO!” another voice came and they both looked ahead to see Sugawara jogging toward them. “What the hell are you doing? Kuroo and Oikawa are screaming for you on line 4. Daichi gave the departure order already!”

“Oh, so that’s why they were calling…” Bokuto said with a raised eyebrow toward the radio and Keiji openly laughed at that, realizing it a bit too late when Sugawara cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Hum… I… I was getting these…” Keiji mumbled while trying to wipe his smile away and showing Sugawara the dishes he was carrying.

“It’s my fault Suga!” Bokuto said. “I kept him back while he was trying to do his chores!”

“I see…” Sugawara looked at them as they tried to justify whatever they had been doing. “Alright, let’s get going then. I’ll take this back, thank you!” he smirked and took the dishes from Keiji. “And you Sir, better get going!” he said to Bokuto and turned to walk back to the supply truck.

“Well, see you later Bokuto-san.” Keiji said and started walking after Sugawara.

“Wait!” Bokuto said and took one of Keiji’s hands again. The omega stopped short and looked back at him. “Look… I’m sorry I got carried away back there…”

“No it’s… it’s fine I guess, don’t worry about it.” Keiji mumbled.

“I just want to ask…” Bokuto trailed off. “Please, just give me a chance to fulfill my promise to you. That’s all I want.”

Keiji swallowed dry again but did not answer. The radio delivered another call and they let go of each other’s hand. Bokuto sighed and Keiji cradled his own hand to his chest.

“We better get going.” Keiji said. “Have a safe ride Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah, you too Keiji. See you in the morning.” Bokuto answered and they both parted in opposite directions, but not without trying a final look over their shoulder toward one another.

Keiji walked back to the supply truck with his head swirling with a thousand thoughts. Everything was just a mess that kept getting worse. He needed to talk to Yahaba. How could they run away now that the others knew what they were planning? Could he trust Bokuto to take them back to Tokyo? But how long would that option take? Something kept telling him that they didn’t have much time left.

“Where the hell were you!?” Yahaba’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He hadn’t even realized that he had arrived at the omegas’ side camp. “I was about to go hunt you down myself! What took you so long?”

“I was gathering the dishes.” Keiji said.

“It might have been a thon if it took you this long.” Yahaba said. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Look, we need to talk, but not now!” Keiji whispered to his friend, noticing that Kenma was approaching them. Yahaba frowned but nodded nonetheless.

“Suga just loaded the last things, we’re leaving now.” Kenma told them with his small voice and motioned for them to follow toward the omega’s truck that was already with the engine running.

“Did something bad happen?” Yahaba asked in a whisper after they sat side by side inside the truck.

“No.” Keiji shook his head. “Things just got even more complicated.” he said while the truck moved down the road toward wherever they were going now.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 13th - 3:30 am - Sentinel’s Convoy

“You had to call me, hadn’t you? You just had to!” Bokuto said for what seemed like the hundredth time since they hit the road last night.

“Well, I’m sorry if you chose our departure time to go flirt with your soulmate!” Kuroo said from the driver’s seat. “Daichi had already given the order for moving, Shimizu had left with the trucks for Nagoya, and the only ones not cleared to go were the omegas and us. What was I supposed to do!?”

“You could have stalled for two more minutes!” Bokuto wined. “Hell! Half a minute would have been enough!”

 _“Enough for what?”_ Oikawa’s teasing voice came from the radio they put on top of the truck’s panel. _“What were you doing that could last half a minute longer?”_

“Shut up Oikawa!” Bokuto snapped and Kuroo laughed. “Why are you even talking to us from another truck right now!?”

_“Excuse you, you rude bastard! I’m here being a good co-pilot and not falling asleep while India drives!”_

_“I already told you I’m fine, just take a nap or something Shittykawa.”_ Came Iwaizumi’s voice.

“I call bullshit!” Kuroo said. “I’m completely exhausted. We are driving for more than six hours already! I’m ready to fall asleep any second now.” a yawn came to him as on cue.

 _“Exactly!”_ Oikawa sounded done. _“India looks like he could run a marathon anytime! That’s ridiculous!”_

 _“Shut up Oscar, I am tired. It’s just that my head’s not falling down every five seconds like yours!”_ Iwaizumi snapped.

“Well, I know that I could be napping right now…” Bokuto mumbled.

“Nu-huh! Don’t even think about it.” Kuroo said. “I need you awake to keep me awake so I don’t end up causing an accident to get us both killed.”

 _“None of us should be driving right now. Where is Daichi even going?”_ Oikawa asked.

“Apparently he’s following the directions from the office. Commander said they were monitoring the rebels’ movements with the satellite, right?” Kuroo said.

“But it’s been hours!” Bokuto stressed. “How can they keep track for this long? Are they even sending us to the right place!?”

 _“It’s not really difficult to keep track of that many people.”_ Iwaizumi said. _“It was a big group. If they all fled together then it would be easy to follow.”_

 _“That would be a stupid move.”_ Oikawa scoffed. _“Besides, if the tech guys are this good at following rebels, why the hell no one called us when they surrounded our camp? They were pretty much packed with weapons and motorcycles, probably even cars parked somewhere. Someone might have noticed them!”_

That last thought got them all quiet, the subject being on top of their heads all day. Why did no one send the alarm when the attack began? From where all those people even came from?

That group was not a simple rescue party, that was an organized attack onto a sentinel camp. They were ready to kill them all, and they came with strategy and ammo enough to do so. How could no one notice their movement? How could no one notice that many weapons on their possession?

“This smells funny and I don’t like it.” Bokuto said after a while.

“I have to agree with that.” Kuroo said. “They were way too organized. Why have we never heard of any of this before?”

 _“Well, clearly someone had. Remember the rally two days ago? Saeko and Shimizu said that they were recruiting people, so this probably happened before.”_ Iwaizumi said. _“What else could explain the rush on getting us to that town and then make us wait for the camp to be attacked?”_

 _“They’re using us as bait.”_ Oikawa snarled.

“Yeah, and either command didn’t know the extent of the rebels’ forces, or they didn’t care.” Kuroo grumbled.

“Why does command hate us so much?” Bokuto mumbled. It was a rhetorical question, they all knew why. “We always ace the missions! We would have probably aced this one by now, if it wasn’t for that freaking telepath!”

“Maybe that’s exactly the reason.” Kuroo thought out-loud. “Maybe word has been around about empaths with this level of telepathy and they wanted to investigate further. They sent us in case shit was too dangerous.”

 _“So we were the best bet to figure this out?”_ Oikawa asked with a scoff.

 _“No. We are the most disposable ones.”_ Iwaizumi completed.

“And here I was trying to understand why Keiji keeps telling me that staying with the squad is not safe.” Bokuto mumbled after a few minutes and crossed his arms, slumping down on his seat in a dejected way.

“Hey buddy, it’s okay.” Kuroo said and shoved his friend kindly. “It’s not the first time they send us on a suicide mission, we got this.”

 _“Kuroo’s right. This is bad, but nothing we can’t handle.”_ Iwaizumi said.

 _“Look at you, all sure of yourself!”_ Oikawa teased. _“Where is my caution and responsible Hajime?”_ his voice sounded more like a moan now.

“Yew Trash! Turn off the damn radio first!” Kuroo screeched and Bokuto scrunched his nose by his side.

 _“Stop it Trashykawa! I’ll kill you if you make me crash this truck!”_ Iwaizumi’s voice came, followed by a bunch of muffled noises.

“Eeeekk!!!” Bokuto screeched and jumped on his seat to grab the radio, but it slipped from his hands to end up under the seat.

“Turn it off! Turn it off!!” Kuroo started yelling while Oikawa laughed in the background.

“I’m trying!” Bokuto yelled to his friend while trying to fit under the panel to search for the device.

_“Attention all units, we are taking the next exit on the left. Our stop point is a clearing about another mile down the inner road.”_ Daichi’s voice came from the truck’s radio that was broadcasting line 1 and they all got silent on the spot.

“Well, guess we’re about to find out the next move on this chess board.” Kuroo said, already preparing to turn out of the main road.

“Yeah…” Bokuto said. “Let’s just try staying alive until the end of the game.”

They reached the clearing after a while and Kuroo parked the truck beside Iwaizumi’s. Different from their previous camp this place didn’t have much space to park the vehicles in order, neither to set up a big campsite. It was more like an old stop on the road, with a gas station and a convenience store, although both structures laid now abandoned.

The alphas jumped out of their trucks and looked around to see forest surrounding the place, only one road that was now filled with their vehicles, and the abandoned building lightened only by the moon itself.

“Creepy little place, ain’t it?” Kuroo said while holding a flashlight to see around. “I’m telling Kenma to stay put in the omegas’ truck for now. Want him to pass on the message for you-know-who?”

“Yes, please.” Bokuto said, missing the smirk on his friend’s face, while also trying to use his senses to verify if the surroundings were safe.

“I don’t like this place.” Iwaizumi said while approaching them with Oikawa in tow. “Middle of nowhere, only one escape route, trees all around. Perfect place for an ambush.”

“Probably the exact place command had in store for us.” Oikawa snarled.

“My thoughts exactly.” Daichi’s voice came from behind when the captain approached them. “Let’s just get this over with so that we can get the hell out of here.”

Daichi walked past them before anyone could ask what he was talking about. He then proceeded on shouting orders, sending some sentinels to verify the old convenience store, others to set a roadblock down the two sides of the road so that no other vehicle could get to them unnoticed, an also a few to set a perimeter around the place a few meters inside the tree’s line. He then radioed the omegas’ truck and told the driver to park near the gas station and not on the end of the line like it usually happens.

“Alright, let me show you guys something before we try to get some sleep.” Daichi said after walking back toward them, now with Asahi by his side. He motioned for them to follow him back to the first truck, getting a big map from inside the cabin and opening it on the ground, flashlight in hand so everyone could see the marks on the paper.

“So, here is our current location. We left the main road at this point and took this inner one.” Daichi said while showing the marks he did with a red pen. “And this is our next target.” he then pointed to a circle that marked an area further down the inner road.

“How far is it?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“About eight or nine kilometers from here. We couldn’t get closer with this many trucks without being seen.” Daichi said.

“What is this place?” Asahi asked.

“Command said the satellite captured the image of an old farm. They believe that’s the rebels' base of operation.” Daichi explained. “Apparently they reached the place last night, no new movements until now.”

“So they want us to attack the farm?” Oikawa said.

“Exactly. They want us there at dawn to get them still asleep.” Daichi said. “Which give us two or three hours, give or take.”

“After driving all night? Awesome.” Kuroo grumbled.

“Yep, that’s the plan, so I suggest everyone take a nap while you can. We move in an hour.” Daichi pointed to the map again. “We’re riding with the two small trucks to this point to keep hidden among the trees. From there we move on foot and surround the area.”

“Do we have any pictures of the place?” Iwaizumi asked while scanning the map that showed only an open area where the farm supposedly is.

“No pictures for now, I asked for it but got no promisses.” Daichi sighed. “Command said there’s a big house and something that looks like a barn. It doesn’t look like a rice farm, since there’s no flooded areas around here, so the ground must be steady for us to move.”

“So we’re basically going in blind.” Oikawa said.

“What else is new?” Daichi said sarcastically.

“How many are going?” Bokuto asked, a cold feeling setting in his stomach already.

“As many as I can since we don’t know how many we’re facing.” Daichi answered. “Asahi, you’ll stay behind to take care of things around here. I’m taking Suga and Kenma as the prime responders.” he finished looking at Kuroo who just cursed.

“Are you sure? You may need me there.” Asahi said.

“Trust me, I’ll probably need you there.” Daichi said. “But I need someone I can trust over here. The rest of the omegas will be here with few defenders since half the squad went to Nagoya. I’ll leave Kageyama with you, but he is too new to be responsible for the camp, and I can’t give up anyone else to stay.” he motioned around their small group.

“Alright, but take my two nurses with you, the rest went to Nagoya with the wounded, but I think I can deal without them here.” Asahi said.

“Right.” Daichi agreed and looked back at Kuroo. “Trust me, I don’t want to bring Suga either, but he and Kenma are the most experienced around. We need to get them closer in case of overflows. They’ll remain on the back of the line with the beta nurses and with luck they won’t need to approach the target.”

Kuroo only nodded, not trusting his temper to say anything without starting a fight. Daichi also nodded and looked around their small group before retrieving the map from the ground and standing straight.

“Alright, go rest while you can. Asahi, camp is officially yours.” Daichi said and walked away to sort out the sentinels that would be going for the target.

“Guess that’s my cue for beauty sleep.” Oikawa said and walked toward the truck he was before, Iwaizumi followed after nodding to the others.

“Well screw this, I’m taking Kenma to sleep in our truck.” Kuroo said and walked toward the omegas’ truck.

“You should get some sleep too Bokuto, things are about to get troublesome.” Asahi said to the white-haired alpha that still had not moved.

“Yeah, I will.” he said with a worried expression.

“Hey, don’t worry.” Asahi said with a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on them while you’re gone.”

Bokuto looked at the doctor and nodded a ‘thank you’. Asahi smiled at him and walked away to make sure everything was running smoothly so that Daichi could also get some rest before the plan started. He then walked back to their truck and hopped inside, laying his seat back to try to get some rest before their incoming blind mission.

He could only wish for everything to be okay after all this mess is done with.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 13th - 5:45 am - Tokyo’s Sector C

“Alright, now toward the east.” Yaku said and the alpha focused on said direction to pinpoint every single noise he could. They have been on this all night long, with the omega telling the directions randomly and expecting the alpha to tell him what he could hear from there, while increasing the difficulty by asking the exact location of every sound. Each time he would ask for more sounds to expand the alpha’s perception.

“There’s a baby crying… about… two kilometers, I think.” Lev said with a frown, his face showing signs of exhaustion from the intense training. “Oh, there’s a cat too, three blocks away from the baby!” he completed happily.

“Is the cat on top of a dumpster?” Yaku cocked an eyebrow.

“...Yes?” Lev said sadly.

“Then it’s the same cat from last time, doesn’t count. Find me another noise.” Yaku ordered.

“But Yaku-san…” Lev wined. “There’s no more noises!”

“Last time you found five. Why wouldn’t you find eight now?”

Lev gasped and wined more, throwing his body backwards where he was seated on the ground to lay down on his back with arms and legs stretched. Yaku wasn’t fazed, it was not the first time the alpha tried to stall the training. To be fair he knew he was pushing too much, but the longer this took the more anxious he got. Keiji and Yahaba were out there somewhere, and he couldn’t stop the feeling that they were getting farther away from him.

Yaku had to get this plan to work. It was a good plan, but only if put on motion faster. If his friends were truly taken to another place, then he needed to get himself on the sentinel base and from there discover where they were moved to, only to make another plan to get himself wherever they were at the time. It is like following a trail, but he needed to start it now so the clues do not disappear from him.

“Come on, don’t you want to be a sentinel!?” Yaku said angrily. “Don’t you think I’m also tired? Do you think they’ll let you rest during the test!?”

“No…” Lev said dejected. “I’m sorry Yaku-san… It’s just that… we’ve been doing this all night!”

“So what?” Yaku raised an eyebrow. “Sun’s not up yet, which means we still have time.”

Lev grumbled something about mean senpai and sat back up, focusing again on the direction Yaku had asked for. After several minutes he finally found the next seven sounds, plus one more as punishment for trying to make one up, to which Yaku knew it was a lie at the spot. 

“See, not so difficult.” Yaku said.

“Huhhh! My head’s spinning.” Lev cried and held his head with one hand.

Yaku scoffed at that, he knew it was a lie, since his own mind was connected to the alpha’s, knowing that the other was just being lazy and dramatic. But he did a good job today, so Yaku deemed time to rest a bit, not mentioning that he was the one sporting a freaking headache for a while now.

“Alright then, did you figure out the next move?” Yaku asked.

“Huh?” Lev looked confused at him.

“For the test.” Yaku sighed. “You said you could do the sentinel test again.”

“Oh! Oh, yeah!” Lev beamed. “I mean, no. I mean, yes! Well, I do have a number to call for the sentinel test, but I haven’t done it yet!”

“Well, do it today then.” Yaku said.

“Eeehhh!? Already!? Do you really think I’m ready, Yaku-san?” Lev sounded scared.

“Why the hell do you think I’m speeding up your training?” Yaku scowled at him.

“Well I… I thought we would take a while longer… I mean… maybe another month, or two?” Lev averted Yaku’s angry scowl. “I don’t know if I’m ready yet.”

_How much time do you think I have, you idiot!?_

“No, not happening.” Yaku shook his head. “You’re just stalling, you know you can do the test now. How hard can it be? Is it any different from what we are doing here?”

“Well, not so much really…” Lev scratched the back of his head. “The first time I had to answer things based on my senses while doing military exercises. It was hard because either I tried to sense things around me or listen to the instructor’s questions. All this while running and shooting and passing the obstacles, and…”

“So what you really need is focus?” Yaku asked. “You need to do the exercises while answering questions?”

“Well, yeah! But it is not that easy!” Lev defended.

“Maybe not, but not impossible either.” Yaku shrugged. “Are you good at the physical exercises?”

“Yeah! I always nailed it!” Lev beamed happily. “One time I was with a friend that-”

“Hey focus, not story time yet.” Yaku cut him.

“Oh… okay, sorry.”

Yaku sighed. “Anyway, do you think you can pass the physical part without much trouble? If you can do that, then I can work on your focus to pass the sensory test.”

When Lev’s eyes lightened up, Yaku knew he had hit the jackpot.

“Can you do it, Yaku-san!?” Lev beamed. “Can you really do it!?”

Yaku scoffed. “Sure. If you keep your part, then I can keep mine.”

_Otherwise it is Plan B. Melt everyone’s’ brains and find Keiji and Yahaba by myself._

“I can do it!” Lev shouted and Yaku shushed him, looking around them, “Sorry… but I’ll do it! I think this way I can!” the alpha said in a lower voice.

“Good, so we have a deal.” Yaku said. “Just make sure to find yourself a way to do the test.”

“Right! I’ll call the number today!” Lev said excitedly.

Yaku nodded satisfied. “And then you tell me time.”

“Yes!” Lev agreed. “Oh, but… how will you get there?” he asked less brightly.

“Well I don’t know the other sectors, so you’ll need to come get me.”

“Yeah but…” Lev trailed off with a pensive expression that Yaku found ridiculous. “Will they just open the gate for you to come with me? Should we fill some kind of request or something?”

_Not a chance idiot. Why do you think the fence even exist?_

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll find my way out.” Yaku dismissed with a wave. “You just make sure that you’ll be able to take the test.”

“Alright, I’ll do it! I’ll show you I can be the best sentinel out there!” Lev jumped to his feet and fisted the air in a victory pose.

“Yeah, yeah…” Yaku shook his head and stood up too. “Sun’s about to rise, don’t you need to make another round before reporting to the gate?”

“Oh yeah, I really do!” Lev said in a hurry and got his weapon off the ground. “I’ll see you later, Yaku-san!”

“See you Lev.”

Yaku remained silent while watching the alpha walk away, mind swirling with possible outcomes for his plan. He actually did what he could. Lev had another enhanced sense and now the only thing to do was to be recognized as an official sentinel. He didn’t like the idea of his plan depending on the alpha to make a call and schedule his own exam, but there was nothing more he could do about that.

“Well… now I need to find a way to cross this fence.” he whispered to himself. He looked around searching for ideas. He could climb it, but it would make too much noise and he would end up being caught. The gaps were also too small, so no chances of squeezing himself out. He also didn’t have a tool to break it open, he could ask Lev for one, but that would leave signs behind and people would eventually discover something was wrong.

No, he knew he needed to leave without leaving tracks. Maybe it wasn’t a problem for the sentinels to know that he had come from Sector C, since there was no denying about where Keiji and Yahaba had been taken from, but that was an information for later, he couldn’t be caught as a sector fugitive before making sure Lev passes the sentinel test.

With that in mind he also dismissed the option on going to the gate and mind suggesting the alphas to open it for him. That could be done, since he doubted that anyone there was mated to an empath or had a strong shield to protect their minds. But that would also leave tracks, there were security cameras there and someone else could see it. Also, he would be using his big card too soon, and that would put him in danger as it would definitely get the attention of some high ranked douchebag.

“So no mental suggestions for now…” he whispered again. “How do I get out…?”

_The same way we got in!_ Came the happy answer in the form of his mother’s voice.

Yaku smirked. Perfect!

Over twenty years ago, his and Keiji’s mothers had come inside the sector to hide from people chasing them. The place was nothing like it is today and the fence had just started being put in place. The military were throwing omegas prisoners in there as they reshaped the city the way they wanted, discarding to Sector C the omegas that did not fit for the breeding center they had just made.

Sector C was the best place to hide back then and they had made it there in the middle of the night to keep themselves alive. Only bad part was that everything changed too fast from that, and when Yaku and Keiji were old enough to travel, Yaku’s mother could not find a safe plan to get away. Tokyo was too dangerous for them to just walk around, and there were no guarantee they could flee from the city on their own. So there they stayed, waiting for the help that never came, but that somehow never left his mother’s hopeful thoughts.

“Alright Mom, time to get out. Where was it?” he talked to himself.

 _How am I supposed to know? It has been decades!_ Came her reply inside his mind.

Yaku had started walking in the general direction he thought his escape route might be, but her reply made him stop and deadpan toward the sky.

“You could at least have kept track of it, Lazy-Mother!” he said without bite, mustering a side smile.

_Now you are sounding just like your father! Just keep looking, it cannot be far!_

Yaku scoffed and shook his head, resuming his search while imagining how much he might actually resemble his father, a little sad for never having the chance to meet the female alpha that held his mother’s heart.

“I love you both, please tell her that.” Yaku said with a sad smile while looking around the farthest end of the sector’s fence, almost reaching the end of it.

_She knows it already sweetheart, and we love you too. Oh! Isn’t it over there?_

Yaku looked to the side and went to the spot that his mother pointed to his mind, crouching down on the ground and beginning to move leaves, debris and dirt to find a sewer cover, old and rusty by the action of the time.

_Bingo!_ Yaku and his mother thought at the same time.

__________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey, Hey!!! Hello again!
> 
> I cried while writing Keiji and Yahaba's heart-to-heart moment, I cried editing it the first time, and I cried again now while revising the post! I'm weak, but I can't help it!  
> Oh, did anyone screamed/jumped/cursed when the radio interrupted You-know-who almost doing you-know-what? If you didn't, then I wrote it wrong... ;)
> 
> I feel like I have a thing about writing interlude chapters where things just move around so we can have more action next. So with that in mind I tell you... next chapter is the new mission, more action and a few explosions. And I honest loved the way it came out in the end. Wait for it! :)
> 
> And just a little something for the future... I am planning a one-shot side story with Yaku's mother's story, so the story Keiji believes Yaku knows will be showed there. It won't disrupt the main story line but it will bring more details of the coup and the plot before our dear boys were born. So if you guys don't mind reading a story full of OCs, stay tuned for it after I finish writing this Part 1.
> 
> I think this is all, I have to go now! See you guys next week!


	15. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto-san has not lied to me yet. Not a single time since the first words we shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT! READ HERE FIRST!
> 
> Hello guys, I'm back. Look, I updated the tags so please take a look before continuing. In this chapter things begin to get a little darker, there's mention of people actually dying. I tried to not make it too graphic, but please, read with caution if that's a trigger for you. If you need to skip any part of the story, tell me in the comments and I'll summarise it for you.
> 
> Don't skip the ending notes, enjoy the chapter!

November 13th - 6:00 am - Sentinel’s Attack

Bokuto was crouched down behind a tree while scanning the open space ahead of them, looking for any signs of movement. He could see a bunch of small old fences marking the perimeter, some even falling apart from lack of maintenance, a gate with just one side of its door wobbling around, and a dirt path that lead to the big house on the center and a barn a few meters to the left.

That was basically it. No animals and no field crops at sight. The farm was probably used for animal breeding in the past, since there were no large areas for crops but they could see old things that might have served to feed the animals here and there. Although none of this mattered now, since whatever it was before ended for a long time, leaving only falling structures behind. However, the farm wasn’t all dead per say. From the line of trees where the sentinels were currently hiding they could see a few motorcycles parked, three at least, and Bokuto recognized a few as the ones that had entered their camp the day before. Daichi also received a satellite picture that showed more vehicles parked on the back of the house, which from this angle is hidden from them.

“So… they’re definitely here.” Kuroo said beside him. “At least some of them. No big movements at the moment though.”

“Yeah… There's a guy awake inside the house though, keep passing around in front of the window every couple minutes, he’s talking on the phone.” Bokuto said without taking his eyes off the building. “Third floor.” he added when he noticed Kuroo scowling from his peripheral vision.

“Dang, your sight really is something now isn’t it?” Kuroo shook his head. “How can you tell? Isn’t it a curtain covering it?”

“Yeah, but the curtain is thin, I can see the guy through it.” Bokuto shrugged his shoulders.

Kuroo cursed with a chuckle. “So I guess the mental bond is still in place?”

Bokuto smiled. “You heard Kenma, it’s not a mental bond, it is more like a connection. I can’t feel Keiji all the time or anything, now it is more like a presence… or a soothing feeling.” Bokuto frowned while trying to put his thoughts into words. “It’s like when you eat that thing that you were really hungry for, or when you have a glass of cold water after an exercise. It’s fulfilling and… peaceful I guess.”

“Dude… you’re so screwed.” Kuroo snorted.

“Shut up! You asked!” Bokuto said and shoved his friend’s arm, face red from embarrassment as the other tried to conceal his laugh.

“Good to know someone is enjoying the mission…” came the small voice and they looked at Kenma crouched behind them.

“Hey Kitten, how are you holding up?” Kuroo asked with a smile.

“I’m bored, go finish this thing already so we can go back.” he answered in his monotone voice.

Kuroo scoffed. “Aye aye captain, your wish is my command.”

Kenma hummed and looked at Bokuto. “How are your senses Bo?”

“Never better Kenma! I’m ready to kick ass!” Bokuto fisted the air.

“Did you take your pills last night?” Kenma asked.

Bokuto gulped and looked down. “No… I really am feeling good…” he said dejected, avoiding his friends’ eyes.

“So you just ditch your meds?” Kuroo scowled at him. “I told you to take them Bo!”

“I know, I know!” Bokuto defended. “It’s just that my senses are so good that I forget about them! And they are the ones that make me take the pills so…” he trailed off while grumbling something under his breath.

Kuroo sighed and shook his head, while Kenma hummed again and approached Bokuto, reaching a hand on his uniform and pulling him closer. “Come here.”

Bokuto didn’t argue, letting Kenma pull him closer and touch their foreheads together, used to the movement every now and then. They both closed their eyes when their minds connected and Bokuto could feel Kenma entering his head. It didn’t hurt but it was a funny feeling, and it kind of tickled when the omega started to fortify the shield meant to protect his mind. Bokuto wondered if he would feel the same if Keiji ever was to build a mind shield for him someday.

_No. A mate’s shield is stronger and more natural, so it will feel different from mine._ Kenma’s voice answered his previous thought.

 _Oops… guess you heard that…_ Bokuto thought with a light blush.

 _I am inside your mind, nuthead._ Kenma chuckled and finished his task.

They both opened their eyes again after the omega ended the connection, letting go of Bokuto and moving toward Kuroo who was waiting with a goofy smile. Kenma sat himself on his mate’s lap and the alpha circled an arm around his waist to pull him closer, affectionately nuzzling the side of the omega’s head when Kenma looked back to talk to Bokuto.

“I reinforced the shield in your mind but it might not be enough if you end up face to face with the telepath, so don’t do anything stupid.” Kenma looked sternly at Bokuto. “I also felt Keiji’s mind link in there, but there’s no way to tell how long it will last, so pay attention to your senses, dumb owl.”

“Yes Sir!” Bokuto saluted with a side grin. “Thank you Kenma!”

Kenma hummed as an acknowledgment before turning toward his mate. “Now you.”

“My pleasure…” Kuroo whispered with a flirtatious smile, pulling Kenma’s body against his own.

When they touched foreheads and closed their eyes, Bokuto looked away to give the couple at least a bit of privacy, looking around to make sure no one was paying attention to them, since he knew what Kuroo was about to do. While Kenma focused on protecting his mate’s mind, Kuroo started to slowly run his hands on the omega’s back, making a show of caressing every inch of it. Then ever so slowly, his right hand slid toward Kenma’s side and front before disappearing between their bodies, right below where the omega’s belly was pressed against his torso.

If Bokuto didn’t know any better he would say that the alpha’s hand was exploring a pretty NSFW place, but since this was not their first rally, he just adjusted his position to shield his friends from people who might look in their direction. Kuroo’s left hand had remained on Kenma's back and was now caressing the edge between the omega’s shirt and pants, lifting the cloth a little to touch the skin under it. Then his right hand started to leave his previous place between them, slowly sliding back under Kenma’s shirt, but now carrying something the alpha had taken from his own belt. Bokuto saw as Kuroo fixed the small handgun onto Kenma’s back, securing it on his low back with the edge of the pants, and then pulling the shirt on top to cover it.

Kenma opened his eyes and stared at his mate. “Shield in place, but don’t you go being stupid either. I’ll kill you if you don’t come back to me.”

“Roger that Sir…” Kuroo smirked and kissed Kenma’s lips tenderly. “And you keep yourself hidden and be safe for me, okay?” he added with his hand making a little pressure on top of the handgun hidden on the omega’s back.

“I will.” Kenma gave a small smile and slid out of his mate’s arms. “You guys protect each other out there.” he said and retreated to the back of the sentinel line, going to stay with Sugawara to wait for Daichi’s orders to initiate the attack.

Kuroo sighed while watching his mate crawl his way to the back and Bokuto knew the exact feeling that assaulted his friend. Having Kenma this close to the fight must be as tormenting as having Keiji away unprotected. It is not surprising that Kuroo always insisted on giving Kenma a gun to keep with him every time they needed to separate during a mission, making sure that the omega will have at least one physical form to defend himself if someone comes for him while they are gone.

In reality that was a move as dangerous as not having a gun at all, since by law no guide is allowed to carry any kind of weapon, just like they are not allowed to drive either. So if any high ranked officer ever find out that Kenma carried a gun around, even never using it, the omega would face death penalty, while Kuroo would be sent to prison for giving it to him. But in their minds that was a risk they needed to take, no one wanted a repeat of a particular dangerous situation from their first year in Sentinel Division IV, when a couple of armed rebels managed to break the battle line and went to get Sugawara and Kenma as hostages to try escaping the sentinels.

Needless to say, they all freaked out when they found the two omegas later, limping and bleeding from a bunch of cuts and bruises while making their way back to their mates. The rebels dead inside their escape car that Kenma made them crash with a mental blow while he and Sugawara were on the back seat. Sugawara broke two ribs and his left wrist, while Kenma got a concussion from the crash and had to use a boot for weeks since one of the alphas did a number on his ankle while dragging him by his leg as Kenma trashed around to free himself.

So after that they were never alone and unarmed again, and if anyone found out, they would deal with that later. Kuroo was actually getting pretty good at passing the gun to his mate without anyone noticing, using his public display of affection as cover since he knew it infuriated other sentinels, and by that also ensuring that Kenma would not actually need to touch the gun, preventing unnecessary fingerprints running around. Bokuto was not sure of how Daichi and Suga did the same, but he was certain that the silver-haired also had some kind of weapon hidden away somewhere.

“Don’t worry Bro, he’ll be fine.” Bokuto smiled at Kuroo. “He’s stronger now than in that first year. His mind is more powerful than all our toys combined.” he patted his assault rifle for emphasis.

“Don’t I know that...” Kuroo chuckled.

 _“Attention sentinels, engage on my mark.”_ Daichi’s voice came from the communicator on Bokuto’s left shoulder. Every sentinel had two of those, one on each shoulder, the left one usually on during the missions to pass the captain’s orders, while the other remained off to be used as backup. Bokuto’s backup communicator was also on though, just like his friends’, and it was connected to line 4 with the line open so that they could make sure each other was safe, just like Daichi always leave one hand radio with Sugawara so that they all can keep track on the omegas.

Plan was simple. Get in, get people, get out.

Since they woke up after their not so long naptime, the sentinels geared up and took two small vehicles to get to the place. Daichi took almost everyone with them this time, since they didn’t actually know how many rebels they should expect, leaving just Asahi and Kageyama to secure their parking spot, other than six others that were keeping a roadblock on the edge of the perimeter, three on each end of the road. That was not ideal, but they didn’t have much choice on the matter since the commander specifically told them through satellite phone that getting the telepath was the priority.

Therefore, the attack group rode as close as possible to the farm until they parked on the side of the road and covered the last 1.5 kilometers on foot so the vehicles’ engine would not alert people of their arrival. Orders were to specifically capture any omega alive, but Daichi also said that he didn’t want any unnecessary deaths, so he planned the attack in three fronts, where Iwaizumi and Oikawa would guide one group to the barn, Kuroo and Bokuto would take the other group to the house, and Daichi would go with Kyoutani and only three others to circle the house and prevent people to get to the vehicles on the back while the second group enter by the front. The back of the house was also where the satellite photo indicated to be the heavy weapons the rebels used to attack their camp, so Daichi needed to secure that area fast.

“So this is it, let’s kick some asses and go back for breakfast, I’m starving.” Kuroo said.

 _“Get your head out of breakfast and focus on the asses so that you don’t get shot, Rooster Head!”_ came Oikawa’s voice through line 4.

 _“And you all better get your heads off your asses and don’t do anything stupid so that Kenma and I won’t need to get in the middle of this to save you idiots.”_ Sugawara’s voice came after.

_“Don’t worry Mr. Refreshing, it’s not my own ass that I usually like to… Ouch! Don’t punch me Iwa-chan!”_

_“This talk is getting way out of hand…”_ Kenma spoke lowly in the background and they all laughed.

_“Attention, engage in three... two… one. Mission Start!”_ Came the order and they all shifted to serious mode in the blink of an eye. Kuroo raised his right fist in the air and their group moved forward, leaving the line of the trees and moving toward the house. Their position was actually the most dangerous one, since they would be walking toward the front door, but someone had to do it so the others could get to their targets with less resistance.

Bokuto’s enhanced touch assured him the ability to move fast and silently, covering the first meters and using the big gate as cover as Kuroo and the others approached fast. No movement came from the house this far, which gave him the opportunity to move further. He was halfway to the house when he noticed the barn’s door being slowly opened from his peripheral vision. 

A man stepped outside distractedly, yawning and stretching his arms up before stopping when he noticed the bunch of sentinels moving toward the buildings. He was about to scream when a silent bullet flew through the air and hit him before he could do anything else, the shot coming from the side Iwaizumi’s group should be moving from the trees. But what couldn’t be predicted is that the man Bokuto saw through the window before would be passing by it again in the exact moment to notice the other one falling to the ground.

“Attack! We’re under Attack!!!” the man shouted on the top of his lungs and Bokuto ran faster toward the house, not caring for silence anymore. He went for the house’s sidewall the same moment a man ran outside the front door with a rifle and began to shoot at the approaching sentinels. Kuroo managed to get to Bokuto’s side two seconds later, while the others took cover by the fences and behind vehicles parked outside.

“Guess they know we’re here now.” Kuroo smirked. The man shooting from the porch was joined by another one, plus two more that were now shooting through the front windows, but no one seemed to notice that Kuroo and Bokuto had got to the side of the house.

“Hey! We can enter through there and get them from behind!” Bokuto said after looking up the sidewall and finding a half-open window that would probably get them access to the back of the living room the men were shooting from.

“Perfect.” Kuroo smirked before reaching for his shoulder-coms to open the mission line. “Sentinels Yamazaki and Honda, shoot some smoke grenades inside!” he said into the radio and the two sentinels with the grenade launchers signalized their understanding. Two seconds later the grenades were flying toward the front porch and through the front windows of the house. 

Bokuto smelled the smoke and heard the rebels cursing, trying to keep firing even as the smoke grew thicker and made them cough while trying to breathe. Seeing their plan in motion, both alphas unrolled their uniform’s collars, using it to cover their mouths and noses like a mask. The sentinel full mission uniform had an inside shirt under the jumpsuit, and the collar of this shirt was made with extra folded cloth that once unrolled, could be stretched up and fit itself along the sentinel’s neck and face, protecting mouth and nose from smoke like the one they were using now.

Kuroo had positioned himself under the side window to give his friend a lift and Bokuto got some distance to run toward him. The level 5 then got himself a smoke grenade from his belt and threw it with massive force toward the window, smashing the glass on it into shreds and leaving only a wooden support in the middle.

Bokuto ran toward Kuroo and stepped on his hand to boost himself toward the window, smashing the wooden support with the side of his body and rolling inside the room. He jumped to his feet already retrieving the rifle he had attached to his back and got the men inside by surprise, shooting the ones that were holding weapons since they were the most imminent threat. Two men came running toward him from the back off the room and he dodged a punch before striking the guy in the gut with his rifle, then swirling to the side and hitting the back of his head with his elbow. The second one was taken by surprise by Bokuto’s skilled movements, and before his friend even hit the floor, the silver-haired delivered a frontal kick that sent him flying to the back.

People were screaming everywhere now, and the sentinels on the front of the house were trying to take out the rebels that were now shooting from the windows on the second floor. Bokuto got back to the side window and gave Kuroo a hand to get inside, pulling his collar out of his face since the smoke had lowered to the floor’s level.

“Geez… left me no one?” Kuroo gave a fake pout when he saw the bunch of rebels knocked out.

“There’s plenty for you upstairs.” Bokuto smirked and as on cue, a shot flew inches from his head. “And apparently there’s plenty in the kitchen too.” he added after instantly getting down and shooting back at the direction.

“Shit, we can’t let them surround us in here.” Kuroo said while taking cover behind some furniture and responding to the fire. “Honda, Status!” he added into the radio-comm.

 _“We’re under heavy fire Sir, there’s a couple of machine guns on the second floor.”_ came the reply.

“We need to get upstairs.” Kuroo cursed.

“We need to get to the other room first!” Bokuto said between shots. “They are shooting us from that corner in the middle of the way, there’s no cover between here and the stairs.”

“Alright… I’ll get a grenade to clear the way, then we run there and-” Kuroo started but another voice came from the radio.

 _“Kilo, I’ll get to the kitchen by the back door, you and Bravo prepare to get upstairs.”_ Daichi told them, probably having heard their plan through the open line on their spare radio, just like they could hear Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s voices here and there.

“Weren’t you supposed to be securing the heavy weapons on the back?” Kuroo asked.

 _“Back was a bust, talk later. Keep their attention and wait for my signal.”_ Daichi answered.

Kuroo and Bokuto didn’t argue, beginning to yell at the rebels to surrender and shooting all around the corner of the room. Suddenly they heard the back door being kicked open and more shots flew around. The rebels screamed and shot back, some tried to run away toward them but Bokuto and Kuroo shot legs and shoulders to stop them.

_“Move, Kilo!”_ Daichi’s voice said.

“Roger that!” Kuroo said and they left their cover side-by-side, weapons up to shoot any hidden threat. The fight in the kitchen was not over, since apparently some rebels had hidden in the storage and the dining room, but that wasn’t near the stairs and they knew Daichi and Kyoutani could handle it.

Kuroo went up first and Bokuto walked behind while also looking down to cover their backs. They made contact with a man in the hallway and Kuroo shot him when he tried to raise a handgun toward them. They passed two rooms that had their doors opened after making sure they were empty, going for the room on the far end from where the machine gun’s sounds were coming. Kuroo lightly put his hand on top of the door’s handle and Bokuto prepared himself to enter the room. They locked eyes and silently counted down together. 

_Three… two… one!_

Bokuto stepped inside the second Kuroo pushed the door open. There were two men on each window, both using big machine guns to shoot the sentinels outside. Two others had assault rifles similar to their own and were also shooting outside, while a younger one was holding weapons and extra ammo as backup for the men using the guns.

“Weapons down and hands behind your heads Now!” Bokuto roared the second he entered the room, Kuroo right on his heels. The men inside were taken by surprise and Bokuto shot the ones with the rifles since they reacted first and turned to aim at them. Kuroo shot the others, one of them losing the grip on the weapon and letting it fall outside. 

“Stand down kid, hands behind your head.” Kuroo said to the terrified teenager. The boy was trembling and dropped everything he was holding, looking scared at his companions that were down on the floor, two still conscious but bleeding from wounds in the limbs. One of them tried to go for a small gun on his belt but Bokuto kicked him in the head, knocking him out instantly.

The boy put his hands up and dropped to his knees when Kuroo ordered again, tears running down his young face. The raven sentinel took his arms and handcuffed him to the window, along with the only adult awake at the moment. Bokuto approached the open window without putting his head out to not be mistaken as one of the rebels, whistling a loud and distinctive tune to the sentinels outside. Someone made the same sound back and the sentinels that were taking cover before started to move toward the house.

“Alright, let’s get one of the others to watch over here and go clear the third floor-” Kuroo started to say but was cut when a man suddenly appeared on the door, shouting in surprise and raising a gun to shoot at them. They jumped to opposite sides of the room and responded fire, both hitting the guy that fell heavily to the floor.

“No time to wait apparently…” Bokuto murmured and went for the door, peeking outside in time to see more rebels coming down from the third floor. He shot a few warning shots on the hallway to keep them away from their door, hiding back inside when the others shot back.

The two sentinels stood the position for another couple of minutes before hearing the rebels’ cries of surprise when the rest of their group got them from behind while coming from the first floor. Bokuto and Kuroo held their fire and waited for the sign to get outside.

“Sentinels, hallway cleared.” came Honda’s voice from outside and they peeked out to see that the path was indeed clear. They checked the other rooms again just in case while moving toward the stairs.

“Third floor cleared!” came another voice from upstairs when they approached the others, noticing that Daichi was also coming up from the first floor.

“Status.” the captain asked when he got to them.

“Five men still alive in the room down the hall, two machine guns and military rifles were in use. All alphas.” Kuroo said.

“Three more alpha males upstairs Sir.” Another sentinel from the group on the third floor said.

“Any signs of the telepath?” Daichi asked.

They all denied and Daichi cursed under his breath.

“Maybe he was at the barn?” Kuroo tried.

“Or he left the area already.” Daichi sighed. “Vehicles on the back are gone.”

“What!?” Kuroo screeched and Bokuto scowled, entering one of the side rooms that had a window that showed the back of the house. “Wasn’t the satellite picture from this morning!?”

“Yes, and I got it exactly twenty minutes before our arrival, so wherever they went, they left just before we got here.” Daichi stressed.

“Well, they probably moved forward then, since no one passed through us on the way here. Do you think there’s a side road somewhere?” Kuroo asked.

“Nothing that shows on the map though.” Daichi said and was about to talk more when the radio signalized another voice.

 _“Captain, barn secured.”_ came Oikawa’s voice.

“Copy that Oscar, any sign of the telepath?” Daichi asked on the radio.

 _“No omegas Sir, but you should probably take a look around here.”_ Oikawa said.

“On my way.” Daichi answered before turning to the others around. “Sentinel Honda, make sure this house is secure, put the prisoners outside and bring the bodies on the first floor. Kyoutani, take two more with you and circle the area outside. I want to know if anyone is hidden somewhere, also see if you can find any access road other than the one we came from.”

The men nodded and went for the tasks. Daichi motioned for Bokuto and Kuroo to follow him when Oikawa’s voice came from their radio in line 4 again.

_“Hey, you might want to bring Mr. Refreshing and Kiki along. India is having a bad feeling about this place.”_

_“We copy that, want us to move Dai?”_ Sugawara’s voice came right after through line 4, just like Kenma’s line of _‘don’t call me that’_ echoed in the background.

Daichi looked at Kuroo and the other nodded. “I’ll go get them.” he walked away.

“You two wait for Kilo, dispatch the nurses to go for the wounded that are being moved outside.” Daichi said into line 4 before motioning for Bokuto to follow him toward the barn.

The alphas left the house walking past wounded people and a few bodies. Bokuto hated that part of their life. He wanted to be the good guy that ended the job without having to kill anyone, always preferring hand-to-hand combat where he could knock people out instead of killing them, same reason why he always tried to shoot shoulders, arms and legs before going for a fatal shot.

However, sometimes things like that happen, a lot more than he could deal actually. Sometimes the opponent wouldn’t just stand down and surrender, threatening his life as well as the others’ around. He was taught that mission always comes first, but in his mind the first thing was always his friends’ safety, and that was basically the only time that Bokuto wouldn’t hesitate in killing the enemy.

Walking toward the barn he noticed that most of the dead ones were outside, meaning that he was not the one to kill them. That thought should have brought some sort of relief to his mind, but it actually didn’t. People still died and he still didn’t like it.

“Any casualties on our side?” Bokuto asked the alpha captain.

“None that came through the radio.” Daichi said. “Had calls about wounded, but the nurses might be able to stabilize everyone for now. No one reported grave injury so far.”

Bokuto nodded, seeing a few sentinels holding dirt rags onto bloody arms and legs here and there. He saw the nurses already moving between them, and since no one was screaming in pain, people might be alright after all.

“What will happen if Kyoutani doesn’t find the telepath hidden somewhere in the property?” Bokuto asked when they approached the barn, stopping beside a motorcycle half tossed on the ground with the keys still on it and some bloodstains on the handle. Someone probably tried to run on it when the attack started, not being so lucky with the plan, it seemed.

“Then command will probably make us chase after him further.” Daichi sighed.

Bokuto scowled. “How far will they make us go after this guy?”

“I have no idea.” Daichi shook his head. “This is all too odd for my liking. Commander looks too obsessed with all this.”

“Do you think there’s more behind this whole ‘creepy powerful mind-guy running around attacking sentinels’?” Bokuto asked.

“Maybe?” Daichi looked confused at him. “Let’s just go and see what the others found out.” he added and they both entered the building.

The barn seemed far too big for the small farm, almost as big as the house. It was also pretty empty of anything animal related, probably not having been used for farm's purposes in a while. But it was absurdly packed with other things, like tables, chairs, papers scattered all around, a black board with schematics, maps on the walls and the floor, boxes of guns and ammos lying around half opened. There was also a second level from where Oikawa was now stepping down from the little wooden stair.

“Glad you could join us.” Oikawa smirked. “Seems like we just stepped into our enemy's lair.”

“Or more like their base of operations.” Daichi said while looking around, eyes stopping at one of the sentinels that had invaded the place with Iwaizumi’s group. “Sentinel Tachibana, go keep guard outside. No one enters here other than Kuroo and the omegas, is that clear?”

The sentinel saluted and went outside, leaving only Bokuto, Daichi, Iwaizumi and Oikawa inside the barn. Bokuto got distracted while looking around the maps on the walls, some bigger than others, some of certain provinces and a big one that showed the whole country. Some maps showed roads, others terrain or political borders, there was even one with commercial trade routes by both land and sea.

“Whatever these guys are planning must be big.” Bokuto whispered.

“I agree.” Oikawa said, approaching him. “This place looks a mess now because of the fight but it was far too organized when we first got here. And they got a bunch of paper with all kinds of information. One dude even tried to run away on the motorcycle outside while carrying a bag full of documents, but we got him before he could leave.”

“Where’s the bag?” Daichi asked.

“Right here.” Oikawa said and walked to show a leather mailbag that was on top of a table on the corner.

Daichi opened the bag and pulled a pile of paper from inside, scanning them while frowning deeper. Bokuto finished looking at the maps and went for the wooden stair to have a look at the second level, where more papers were scattered all around, another table on the corner also stashed with things, like someone had been looking for something there in a hurry, making more of a mess than anything. There were also sketches of drawings on the wall, pictures of people and places, a black board on the corner with all kinds of math stuff written on it. 

The place smelled odd and Bokuto didn’t like it. He found Iwaizumi slowly wandering around up there, looking at stuff as if trying to figure something out.

“Hey dude, you’re okay?” Bokuto asked slowly.

“What?” Iwaizumi looked up at him with a confused expression. “Oh yeah, I’m fine Bokuto.

“Are you sure? You seem a little constipated in there.” Bokuto said and then raised his hands up in the air when Iwaizumi scowled at him.

“I’m just trying to figure this shit out.” Iwaizumi grumbled.

“Figure what?” Bokuto tilted his head to the side.

“This thing- this… feeling.” Iwaizumi said frustrated.

Bokuto frowned and was about to say more when they heard the barn’s door opening downstairs, then Sugawara gasped as he stepped inside.

“Oh man…” Sugawara said while waving a hand in the air like trying to clear something around himself. “This place’s energy is awful.”

Kenma entered after him and scrunched his nose, taking a step back and bumping right into his mate who was just closing the door behind them.

“Hey, everything okay Kitten?” Kuroo asked.

“Yeah just… just give me a minute.” Kenma said and caressed between his eyes to focus for a moment.

“Well, it seems like Iwa-chan wasn’t wrong. Something is up here.” Oikawa said by Daichi’s side, crossing his arms and looking at the omegas while the captain still frowned at the documents in his hands.

“Like what?” Bokuto asked from upstairs, now standing by the edge of the elevated place to stare down at his friends, Iwaizumi coming to his side. “Do you think the telepath is in here? I don’t smell him.”

“No, he’s not physically in here.” Sugawara started to wander around the place. “But he was.”

“And he’s definitely angry.” Kenma mumbled before also walking further inside, now more focused.

“How can you tell?” Oikawa asked them.

“Well… sometimes when people have strong feelings about something and they hover around a place while repressing or mumbling in them, the place can feel… packed with it.” Sugawara scratched his head. “It is hard to explain, but it’s as if that energy stuck around for a while.”

“Like a haunted house?” Kuroo asked, walking behind Kenma while the omega was analyzing one of the maps on the wall. He gave a kiss on top of the other’s head and retrieved his handgun from Kenma’s back, plugging it back onto his own belt.

Sugawara scoffed. “Yeah, something like a haunted house.”

“So the telepath was around, and he was pissed.” Oikawa said. “Whatever is new?”

“Well, you can bet he was furious that’s for sure.” Sugawara said while approaching his mate who was still looking at papers, touching his arm to get his attention. “Hey Dai, what are you mumbling about in here?”

Daichi looked up and gave a small smile, as if just realizing his mate’s presence. “Hey love, how you’re doing?”

“I am fine, you are worried.” Sugawara chuckled. “What did you find?”

“Concerning things…” Daichi trailed off. “Here, let me show you guys.” he turned and walked toward a big table near one of the blackboards, carrying the mailbag and the papers.

Daichi took more papers out the bag and began to spread them on the table. Kuroo and Oikawa joined Sugawara to see what the captain was doing while Kenma walked upstairs to see why Iwaizumi started passing around again. Bokuto lost interest in the talk below and went to look at the pictures and sketches on the sidewall again.

“This frustration you’re feeling is not yours, don’t let it get to you.” Kenma said in a small voice after Iwaizumi grumbled something.

The alpha blinked surprised at him. “Oh… what do you mean?”

“We are sensitive to this kind of strong energy.” Kenma waved one hand around. “Sometimes we don’t even realize it’s someone else’s. You need to focus on feeling without channeling it.”

Iwaizumi frowned to the floor. “I… I never felt it like this before.”

“Well, then your empathy level is probably evolving.” Kenma said in a soothing voice. “Sorry?”

“No it’s… its fine.” Iwaizumi said while looking at Kenma and then at his own fist with a sad expression. He had nothing against empaths or anything like that, but the more his empathy level rises, the farther he is from that old picture of the perfect sentinel he once dreamed to be.

“Hajime?” came Oikawa’s voice from downstairs. “Are you alright up there?”

Iwaizumi left a small smile before answering, now aware that his bad thoughts probably travelled by their mental bond. “I’m fine Tooru, don’t worry about it.” he then looked at Kenma. “I’m good Kenma, thank you for the tip.”

Kenma nodded and Bokuto smiled to himself while seeing the interaction between his friends. Things were pretty messed up these days, but he knew that while they were together, everything would be okay.

“Here, take a look at this.” Daichi said from the table with the papers to gather everyone’s attention. “These documents are not just notes, they are reports of food and weapons’ chain supplies, roadblocks operations, commercial routes and ports.” he then pointed to a different pile he had put separately. “And these ones are human resources. People sorted by name, gender and age. Most are betas and then alphas, not so many omegas but still a few. I think they’re trying to raise an army.”

“And what about these ones?” Sugawara asked while taking a couple of papers from a different pile.

“These look like orders.” Daichi said while pointing to some paragraphs on the paper Sugawara was reading. “Here there’s a list of places where some group should be gathering next week. There’s a signature on the end, but I can’t tell if this order came to this group or was to be sent to another one.” Daichi then sighed and crouched to the ground while the others looked at the documents, reaching for Sugawara’s pant leg and retrieving the small handgun that was hidden inside the omega’s boot. Standing up again and delivering a tender kiss to the side of his mate’s head before looking back at the papers scattered around.

“They seem pretty bold if they are putting things on papers like this.” Kuroo said. “Wouldn't it be safer to keep plans somehow off-records?”

“Maybe… but if they’re planning a country wide rebellion then mouth to mouth communication won’t travel fast enough.” Oikawa said.

“But neither would paper…” Sugawara mumbled. “They just seem confident that no one would find out their base, if this is their base. Do you think they have intel from inside or something?”

“Like a spy?” Oikawa asked, raising an eyebrow. “If so, they’re not really good, are they? I mean, we just took down this place in less than an hour.”

“Only because most of the weapon power we would have to face isn’t here anymore.” Daichi said. “As well as the telepath who was our biggest threat and our main target altogether.”

Oikawa and Sugawara frowned at Daichi. “What?”

“Back of the house was clear when we got there, not even a single vehicle parked.” Kuroo explained.

“And without the telepath around either…” Daichi trailed off. “They probably moved forward with whatever they were planning. Or they got wind that we were coming and fled before we got here.”

“That makes no sense.” Kuroo said. “They should at least suspect that we might follow them after the attack on the camp. Why would they come here just to go do anything else?”

“Besides, this bag of papers is clearly important since one of the minions tried to flee with it.” Oikawa added. “Why would they take the weapons and leave this behind if they were running away?”

“There’s also the matter of this mess up here.” Iwaizumi’s voice came from above, he had kept track of the others’ conversation while looking at the board filled with notes there. “Dude was clearly searching for something… like brainstorming. There are half-finished plans and notes here, sketches and spreadsheets, some maps with inner roads and trails too. I think they might have been trying to make sense of something.”

“I agree.” Kenma added while sorting through a few papers on the table. “And maybe the answer they found wasn’t good, if the angry energy is something to go by…”

“Maybe they were looking for someone?” Bokuto said, already tired of all this puzzle game. “I mean, look at all these pictures on the wall. Some are people’s photographs, others are drawings and simple sketches, but also of people…” he trailed off.

“There’s more here.” Kenma whispered and Bokuto went to see the new bunch of sketches he found under some of the papers on the table. These were different though, like a character’s appearance study. One paper had a few eyes’ shapes like a trial and error to find the right one, the other had the skeleton of a drawing, the shape of a face and the first strokes of a hair.

“Well, whatever this is I think it’s better to pack everything to take with-” Daichi started saying before a sudden static sound came from their radio.

_“...Da-... cagggrrrmmm…”_ the sound came with no understandable word. They all frowned before the radio connected again. _“Bbbrrzz!!! Bb-rr…”_

“Is that line 4?” Sugawara asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Looks like it.” Kuroo said while messing with the small device on his shoulder. “But we’re all here, maybe someone is trying to enter the line?”

“Only ones with devices hacked for this are us, Mad-dog-chan and Asa-chan.” Oikawa said, the radio static coming again. “But the call is too bad for it to be Mad-dog, isn’t he just outside?”

“Asahi then?” Sugawara asked, the noise coming again. “Why would he call us in the middle of the mission?”

“Asahi knows the radio wouldn’t work this far with the forest around.” Daichi said. “Besides, I left him with the other satellite phone.”

As on cue the satellite phone on the captain’s belt started to ring, making everyone frown at it concerned. Iwaizumi walked to the edge of the upper platform to look down at the others, while Bokuto watched him as if waiting for the mystery to be solved. Beside him, Kenma was still looking at the new sketches while trying to put them all together. Daichi got the phone from his belt and answered the call.

“Sentinel Sawamura.” he said just to be met with more noise and few words, the sound loud enough that the others could hear out-line.

 _“Delta… bbrr…”_ came the alpha doctor’s voice. _“We… att-bbrrzzz…”_

“Asahi? The call is horrible, can you hear me?”

_“En-mmmrrr… cam-rrrkk...hel-zzbbrr…”_

“Maybe it’s the signal? Maybe it’s better outside?” Oikawa said.

“This phone shouldn’t be this bad…” Kuroo said slowly. “And it’s not just static, there’s too much noise in the background.”

“Hold on Asahi, I’ll try to get a better signal.” Daichi said and took a step toward the door, but then Kenma gasped from above. He had just pushed another paper around to see a drawing under it, the picture a perfect image of a person.

Bokuto looked toward Kenma and the omega faced him with wide eyes, holding the paper up so the alpha could see. Bokuto’s blood froze in his veins when he faced the drawing, made with the black strokes of a pencil was the perfect shape of a face a little turned to the side, as if looking over their own shoulder. Wavy black hair and a thin nose with two lines forming the simple outline of their lips. All in black apart from the deep blue color that painted the person’s eyes.

Bokuto cursed under his breath and his body sprinted into action, running past Iwaizumi and down the small stairs toward the barn’s door. The others jumped from the sudden movement and looked as the alpha rushed down.

“Bokuto?” Kuroo tried but then a clear _beep_ came through the phone and the doctor’s voice followed much clearer.

 _“Daichi! Bbrrzzz--... we-... under attack!”_ Asahi said and they all froze. Bokuto passed beside them in the blink of an eye as Iwaizumi got to Kenma to look at the paper in his hands, seeing the perfect drawing of the blue-eyed omega Bokuto had sworn to protect.

“Keiji.” Kenma whispered with wide eyes. “They’re going after Keiji.”

Bokuto reached the door and pushed it open harshly, scaring the guard outside and looking around for something. His eyes landed on the motorcycle he saw before, the one that was to be used by the rebel that tried to run away and still had its keys on. He rushed toward it and almost bumped into Kyoutani who was just rounding the corner from the side of the barn.

“What the hell!?” Kyoutani growled when Bokuto almost smashed into him. “Heck’s wrong with you!?”

Bokuto looked at him with wide eyes and said before running toward the vehicle again. “They’re going for them!”

Kyoutani frowned before a sudden wave of understanding washed over him. He ran after Bokuto and without another word from any of them, jumped on the backseat when the alpha got on the bike and turned it on. Bokuto then sped up toward the property’s gate and passed it, driving full speed toward the road they had come from earlier, with Kyoutani on his back and a desperate feeling in both their hearts.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 13th - Sentinel’s Convoy - Sometime earlier...

“What the hell you mean by ‘they already know our plan’!?” Yahaba stressed, hands on his hips.

“The exact thing you just said.” Keiji sighed. “Bokuto-san talked to me last night before we left the other camp. He knows we’re planning to escape again.”

“But that’s not so surprising is it?” Yahaba raised an eyebrow. “I mean, we’ve been saying we want to leave since the moment we woke up in that base. Why would they think otherwise?”

“Knowing we want to leave is different than actually being aware we are already planning it.” Keiji deadpanned to his friend. “Maybe you shouldn’t have been so eager to steal a map in front of Kenma when we hid in that truck.”

Yahaba crossed his arms and grumbled something about that being the perfect opportunity, but Keiji decided to ignore it. He looked around to the makeshift “camp” they were now, honestly looking much more like a stop on the road than a place to spend the night. Truth be told, no one seemed to want to stay there for more than a couple of hours, hoping that the sentinels would be back anytime with the news of a successful mission so that they could leave as soon as possible.

There was a small campfire near the side of the convenience store where most of the omegas were gathered, some making food while others just wanted to chase away the morning breeze oozing from the trees nearby. Since there was not an actual camp to take care of, and that most of the squad had left for the attack on the farm, the place was actually pretty empty now, and people were taking the opportunity to rest from their most recent ride. Only alphas around were the doctor and a young one with dark hair, walking around here and there as if someone could just pop out of the trees any second.

People were on edge, Keiji could feel it. Hell, he was too. This whole place gave him chills and Yahaba had described it as the perfect location for a horror movie, whatever that may be. However, it was not the lonely store nor the gas station that freaked Keiji, not even the morning fog that stuck around. It was the forest, actually, a hidden presence in the forest. A feeling that grew stronger as the minutes ran, something telling him that someone was coming, a danger he couldn’t actually see, an intention he could not understand.

Bloodlust.

The feeling grew in his core and rose to his throat. It was as if the forest was about to suck him inside and give him to whoever wanted to end his life. Not that he feared the trees per say, he had already walked toward one this morning and touched it to feel the rough texture of its trunk, hearing the sound of the leaves when the wind moved them around. It was peaceful and an enjoyable change from the buildings and debris from where he grew up, but what put him on edge was the feeling that something was using this peaceful place as a hideout to get to him. Not to the squad as a whole, no. Keiji felt the ill intention directed to himself.

And that was terrifying him.

“Maybe we should leave now?” Yahaba said. “You know, we have the map, food and water inside our sleeping bags.” he pointed to the bundle hooked on his back. “I think I saw a road sign when we turned out of the highway last night. We can go back there and find out where we are exactly and then follow the map. We can walk in the forest during the day and use the road to guide ourselves during the night.”

Keiji hummed, crossing his arms and avoiding his friend’s eyes. “That’s the exact thing Bokuto asked me not to do.” he mumbled.

“Keiji…” Yahaba whined. “We cannot trust these guys. Bokuto may be nice, but we don’t have guaranties that he won’t force us to stay!”

“I know but…” Keiji sighed. “He said it’s too dangerous to try. He said that he will take us back to Tokyo once the squad is smaller. He promised me he was getting us home.” a lump formed inside his throat when he looked back at Yahaba.

“And how can we actually believe in him Keiji? How can we trust he’ll actually have the ways to take us back?”

“Bokuto-san has not lied to me yet Shigeru. Not a single time since the first words we shared.” Keiji said, his chest warm somehow. He didn’t know why he trusted the alpha that caused all this mess, but he knew that Bokuto wasn’t deceiving him. He knew the alpha told him the truth and he wanted to believe him.

“It is not a question of lying, Keiji.” Yahaba sighed and pinched between his eyes. “It’s a matter of opportunity. We don’t know this new base nor the people we may encounter there. What we do know is that the squad just left for another mission, that we have supplies with us and not so many guards right now. This might be our best chance ever!” he finished anxiously.

Yahaba was right and Keiji knew it. There were basically just omegas around apart from the two sentinels, and even if doctor Asahi kept walking around and looking toward them every few minutes, they may be able to find a distraction that allows them to sneak out. Other than that, they heard that the captain ordered roadblocks on the two directions of the road they used, but there couldn't be more than three or four sentinels keeping look at it. They could easily avoid them through the forest and access the highway farther away.

Other than all that Keiji also knew that the thing that kept them alive all these years was never blindingly trusting strangers, always having their own plan and always working together to protect each other. Bokuto hasn’t lied to him yet, but Bokuto was not one of them either. He was someone from a different place, someone that lived on a different planet, someone that lived under the light of a different star. 

Keiji couldn’t risk their lives with a person that he met not even two weeks ago, no matter how his own heart was aching with the thought. The alpha was a dream too perfect to be true. He needed to trust reality and be rational to keep them alive in this world.

“Alright.” Keiji sighed again and faced Yahaba with determination in his eyes. “Let’s get to it.”

Yahaba nodded, glad that Keiji was on board with the plan but not exactly thrilled with the idea either. He knew this was their best shot but he was also terrified something could go terribly wrong. But anyway, they needed to try.

“Right. First we have to find a way to distract that doctor with something that gives us enough time to sneak away.” Yahaba said.

“That will be tricky, there’s nothing much to do around here.” Keiji said and looked around. “He is somehow watching us less compared with when the squad left. Maybe if we wait for a while longer he will deem us behaved enough to lower his guard?”

“Maybe…” Yahaba mumbled before a new voice came from behind them.

“Hey there! How are you guys doing?” a too happy voice greeted them and a bright orange-haired omega walked to their side. “I was bored and I heard when you guys said you were going to gather some sticks and such to make more firewood, and alpha-doctor Azumane said you might want some help, and Kenma said last night that you guys were cool and…”

“Or maybe he’ll send someone else to babysit us…” Yahaba whispered to Keiji with a deadpan face before turning to the new omega again, cutting his blabbering. “Well, no thank you kid, we don’t need help. Besides, your skinny arms won’t manage to carry much wood anyway.”

The smaller omega squawked outrageously. “I’m not a kid! I’m seventeen already!”

“And yet you look like thirteen”. Yahaba smirked and Keiji sighed.

“Oh yeah!?” the omega continued. “I am much stronger than I look! I can carry lots of things and do lots of heavy cleaning! Oh! And I can jump really high to get things on the top shelves, and…”

Yahaba was about to deliver a comment about how stupid this so called abilities were when Keiji tugged at his arm and whispered him to stop intentionally trying to pick up a fight with the smaller one.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to insult you, huh…” Keiji said, putting himself between the two.

“Hinata Shoyou!” the orange haired beamed, excited that someone was being nice to him. “I can help you carry every wood you want! I promise!"

“Nice to meet you, Hinata-san. My name is Keiji and this is Yahaba.” Keiji said with a small smile, thinking that Hinata’s excitement was similar to Bokuto’s. “Thank you for offering us your help, but we didn’t find that many sticks around, so maybe someone else can benefit from your assistance?” he said politely to try not being so rude with the other when dismissing his presence.

“Oh… is that so…” Hinata seemed a little dejected. “You know I… I kinda offered already but… the others don't like me very much. Some of them told me I speak too much.”

“You won’t say…” Yahaba deadpanned and then whined when Keiji elbowed his side.

“Yeah, and… hum…” Hinata scratched the back of his head. “I’m also new here, and Suga-san is usually the one that let me tag along. Oh, and Kenma also talks to me sometimes, but since they’re both away with the sentinels right now…” he trailed off while looking to the ground.

Yahaba looked exasperated at Keiji when the other looked back at him with a soft expression, looking much like a child asking mommy to bring home a stray puppy. He raised one finger in the air toward the raven as if saying _‘don’t you start’_!

“So I thought that since you guys are also new here and since Kenma said you were nice,” Hinata suddenly looked at them again, much more lively now, “then maybe we could be friends or something!”

“Well, that’s all interesting but I don’t think we-” Yahaba started to say before Keiji could open his mouth again when the sudden roar of an engine echoed around and three motorcycles jumped from the middle of the trees, each carrying a couple of men in black clothes like the ones that attacked the previous camp. They started to shoot all around and people started to scream in panic, the omegas by the campfire ran aimlessly before trying to hide themselves somewhere.

“Are we under attack again!?” Hinata yelled desperately when Keiji pushed him toward the ground and told him to cover his head.

“It appears so. And just when most of the sentinels are out.” Keiji said and cursed under his breath. They were closer to the gas station on the other side of the clearing, and he could see that most of the omegas now managed to run inside the convenience store for cover. There was the omegas’ small truck between them and the store, but other than that it was an open way with nothing to cover their movement.

“Dammit, we can’t have one single moment of peace these days…” Yahaba mumbled and saw that one of the attackers saw them and shot in their direction, hitting the ground around them as if daring them to run. 

The man started to go to them with his weapon raised when he was suddenly hit on the head and fell on the ground, the gun fell out of his open hand with a thump. The omegas looked on the direction the bullet came from and saw the alpha doctor shooting from the side of one of the squad's trucks parked on the road.

Seeing that there was a response to their fire, the attackers also took cover behind the parked vehicles around, now trying to circle and get the alpha doctor from behind. Keiji saw that, or more like something told him that this was happening, and he cupped his hands around his mouth to shout toward the doctor. “Azumane-san, behind the truck!”.

Asahi’s enhanced hearing got that loud and clear, so he fastly laid on the ground and looked under the vehicle he was using as cover, seeing two pairs of legs moving toward him. He shot them and the men fell to the ground with scared and painful cries, so the doctor shot again and they stopped moving. 

Asahi got back onto his feet and nodded a _thanks_ in Keiji’s direction, looking around to try to find the other attackers that had entered the place. Shots could be heard from near the convenience store, but he couldn’t see anyone moving in that direction, what told him that Kageyama was probably hidden somewhere around there while keeping fire toward the rebels.

“That’s it! That’s our distraction!” Yahaba whispered while holding Keiji’s arm. “We can go from here while they are trying to kill each other!” he pointed toward the trees behind them.

Keiji’s eyes widened and he looked toward the trees his friend was pointing at. “I don’t think that’s a good idea Shigeru…” he whispered.

“Of course it is, come on!” Yahaba said and motioned for them to crawl their way toward the trees.

“What!?” Hinata suddenly shouted and grabbed Yahaba’s arm. “Why do you want to go there!? Our guide’s regiment says that in case of an attack we have to gather outside the fire line so we don’t get on the sentinels’ way! The others are probably inside the store, we need to go there too!”

“That’s stupid! Why would the omegas gather in a corner just to be all killed together!? You need to find somewhere safe, not be easy targets!” Yahaba snapped at him. “Besides, you’re not coming with us, so keep yourself hidden somewhere.”

“What!?” Hinata screeched again. “What do you mean? Where are you going?”

“That’s none of your business-” Yahaba started but Keiji suddenly grabbed his arm.

“We’re not going there, not that way…” Keiji said desperately. He had been looking toward where Yahaba had pointed out before, looking for something he could feel in that direction, he panicked when he realized what it was. “We need to move, now! We need to go now!” he tried to get up but Yahaba pulled him back to the ground.

“Are you insane!? Are you actually trying to get yourself killed?” Yahaba barked at Keiji.

“No! He is coming here! We need to go!” Keiji said, he could feel the ill energy that was oozing from the trees, the bloodlust, the rage. And it was all directed toward them. “He’s coming from there!”

Yahaba looked to where Keiji was pointing and he suddenly saw movement coming from that side of the forest, and after his eyes adjusted to it, he noticed several armed figures walking among the trees in their direction.

“Shit! We gotta move!” Yahaba said and tried to stand as well when a bunch of gunshots landed near them, coming from behind. “Damnit! They’re going to shoot us down if we stand!”

“We need cover!” Keiji shouted while pulling Hinata against his side as the younger omega yelled in fear when a bullet landed inches from his left arm.

“HEY!” Yahaba cupped his hands and yelled toward Asahi, who was aiming for a rebel on the opposite side from where they were. The alpha heard the shout and looked toward them just to see Yahaba pointing to the trees behind them.

Yahaba and Keiji saw when Asahi looked at them and then to the trees from where the attackers were much closer now. The alpha then spoke something into some device on his left shoulder and suddenly the sound of a heavy shooting echoed stronger from the side of the convenience store. Asahi then raised three fingers in the air while looking at the omegas, lowering one after another in a countdown. When the last finger disappeared, the alpha aimed his gun and started to shoot toward the trees behind them, making their attackers scatter to take cover.

The omegas noticed that no bullets were landing around them anymore, so they shot to their feet to run toward the doctor. Keiji pulled Hinata together with himself since the younger seemed more confused than anything, while Yahaba ran beside him and on the way to the other side, fastly lowered his arm and grabbed the gun that the first attacker was using before the doctor shot him down.

They ran with their heads down until they passed the alpha doctor who was still covering for them while shooting toward the trees on the other side. When the omegas arrived, they all hid on the side of the parked truck while the new attackers started to shoot in their direction.

“Shit, they’re everywhere!” Asahi said while plugging a new ammo clip onto his gun. “Are you three okay?” he asked the omegas.

“Yes, for now. Thank you for the cover, Azumane-san.” Keiji answered while panting hard. “There are more coming from the trees, the telepath is in there somewhere as well.” he added pointing to where they came from.

“What!?” Asahi looked at him with disbelief. “The telepath was the prime target at the farm! The squad went there to retrieve him!”

“Well sorry but the sentinels won’t find him there.” Keiji said. “Can’t you call them back?”

“Now that I know you can bet I will.” Asahi said and went with one of his hands to retrieve a big yellow phone attached to his belt, but as soon as he did a bunch of shots landed much closer to them and they curled fully behind the truck’s big tire. The alpha held his gun back up and shot toward the attackers to avoid them from getting even closer to the truck they were hiding behind. “Shit, we are too open here, we need to get to the store.”

“What are you doing with this!?” Hinata’s voice got Asahi and Keiji’s attention. “You’re an omega! You’re not supposed to touch any weapon!”

“Well, you tell that to the freaks that are trying to kill us!” Yahaba snapped while trying to get a proper hold on the big assault rifle he got from the ground.

“Shigeru!” Keiji shout-whispered toward his friend. “Be careful with this! You’ll end up shooting yourself!”

“Shut up Keiji, I know where the trigger is, and I know where the bullet is supposed to leave from!” Yahaba snapped back. “I’m just trying to figure out the position I need to hold this thing! It’s too big for balance!”

“Don’t mess with a gun if you don’t know how to use it!” Asahi yelled at him while hiding himself again when another wave of bullets flew in their direction. “We have to move, they’re closing in on us!”

 _“Azumane-san, I got the last ones near the store. Where are the others coming from?_ ” came a sudden voice from the alpha’s radio on his left shoulder.

“Thank God!” Asahi said before opening the line on his radio. “Kageyama, they are coming from the trees behind the gas station, the omegas’ truck might be covering them from your view. They’re closing in on us, I need you to cover our movement.”

 _“Roger that. I’ll get to the roof to see if I can get a better view.”_ Kageyama said and Asahi agreed, telling him to give a signal once he is in position.

“Alright, this is what we’re going to do…” Asahi said toward the omegas and pointed to the end of the truck they were hiding, showing another one parked right behind it. “You guys move to the end of that other truck, keep your heads down and use the tires for cover too so they can’t shoot your feet. Wait for me there.”

Keiji nodded and made the other two follow the instructions, telling Yahaba to just give up on the damn rifle that was clearly too heavy for him, but his friend was stubborn enough to just put the strap across his torso to keep carrying the weapon on his back. They fast-walked to where the doctor ordered, crouching behind the big tire and nodding back at the alpha that was shooting toward the rebels to keep them from approaching.

Seeing the omegas in position, Asahi shot a couple more bullets before running toward them when the rebels shot back. He reached and passed them in order to look at the back of the truck, being able to see it was clear and motioning for the omegas to follow him and hide on the back end, right in time to see that the rebels had reached their previous position and turned the corner to shoot them again.

_“Azumane-san, I have eyes on you and the targets. I’ll cover the way to the store.”_ Kageyama said through the radio and Asahi told him to wait for his signal.

“Alright, you guys go first. They’ll probably take cover behind the omega's truck when Kageyama starts to shoot from above, so you’ll take that chance to run to the store, I’ll cover our backs from the ones that are already hidden on this side. Keep your heads down and don’t look back, just run inside and hide somewhere on the back.” Asahi instructed.

“Wait I… maybe this is not such a good idea.” Keiji said suddenly.

“What!?” Asahi looked exasperated at him. “We don’t have time for doubts now, that’s the only place we have to hide. We can barricade ourselves inside while we wait for reinforcements.”

“But that won’t work!” Keiji shouted, a sudden pain striking through his head. “They’re not going for the store right now, but they’re all coming here! Why’s that!?”

Asahi blinked and looked around, a couple shot hit the truck from behind them and he turned again to shoot at the people who had got to the side of their truck and were moving toward them. Yahaba frowned as Keiji put one hand on his head to stop the pain.

“Keiji… what do you mean?” Yahaba asked slowly.

“They’re coming here now but…” he whined in pain before continuing. “...but they will go there after! If we get… if I get there… the store will become a target!”

“Keiji, we’ll think about that later!” Asahi said while still keeping the others away. “I don’t know what you’re sensing right now, but we’ll deal with it! Now prepare to move!” he shouted before giving Kageyama the signal.

A bunch of shots from above started and some of the rebels screamed in pain when hit, taking cover behind trucks and giving them the chance to run. Kageyama called for the movement on the radio and Asahi yelled for the omegas to move. Yahaba pulled Keiji by the arm and pushed Hinata forward, the three dunked down their heads and ran toward the convenience store, passing through the small open road while bullets flew on top of their heads.

Asahi kept himself behind to make sure they wouldn’t be followed immediately, taking a hand-grenade from his belt and throwing it on the line of trees near the truck they were using to scatter the enemies for a moment, then turned around and ran after the others.

Hinata was the first to reach the store and opened its door, looking behind to make sure the others were coming. Yahaba and Keiji were closer, with the alpha doctor a little behind, but just as Asahi was half of the way to the store, a sudden engine roared and a car came running down the road toward them. The car appeared fast enough to shield some of the rebels from Kageyama’s view, bursting open its doors so that new men with black clothes spilled out to shoot at them.

The alpha doctor tried to run faster when the car appeared, but the new attackers were so fast in starting shooting while covering themselves behind the car’s doors, that Asahi was hit on his side and landed on the ground with a painful cry.

“Asahi-san!” Keiji had just reached the store with Yahaba when they saw the doctor being shot, so he turned around and ran back to help him off the ground. Yahaba called for his friend but also ran after him a second later, while Hinata ran inside the store screaming for Kageyama to go help them.

Asahi tried to move while clutching a hand to his bullet wound when he saw one of the rebels aiming at him again after Kageyama shot at the car’s door to try cover for him. In one of those few seconds where the mind makes everything happen in slow motion, Asahi ended up locking eyes with the man that was about to end his life, all that was left was for the guy to pull the trigger and…

And Keiji was suddenly by his side helping him get up from the ground. In that sudden movement that made not only Asahi’s eyes widen, but his attacker’s as well. The doctor saw the man pulling his gun away when he saw the omega, aborting the shot that would have definitely killed him. Then a grenade landed on top of the car and the rebels jumped away from it in fear of the explosion, but what came out of the thing was smoke, since a real grenade would definitely hit the doctor and the omegas still on its range.

Yahaba had come after Keiji and now was also helping the alpha to limp to the store, Kageyama still shooting from above to keep the attackers away from them. When they managed to get inside, they saw Hinata running to shut the door behind them, desperately asking if someone was dead, even if he could see the three of them breathing right now.

“Shut up dammit! You’re giving me a headache!” Yahaba barked at Hinata after helping Keiji to put the alpha on the floor, back pressed against a sidewall.

“I’m sorry I… I’m panicking!” Hinata screeched. “What do we do now!?”

“We secure the door!” Asahi told them, looking around the place and noticing a bunch of empty shelves, chairs and a small table around. “See if you guys can drop one of the shelves and push it against the door, then put the chair and the table on top of it to make it difficult for them to get inside.”

With new orders in hand, Yahaba and Hinata ran around to secure the place, not even blinking and surprisingly working pretty well together. Asahi grumbled in pain when Keiji tried to get his hand away so he could see the damage on his side, worrying at how fast the alpha’s uniform was soaking in his own blood.

“I told you this would happen.” Keiji mumbled. “You were hit because you were behind me. You should have let me run into the woods by myself, they would have followed me.” he added while taking things out of the alpha’s belt so he could access the wound.

“And let them hunt you like a deer? Not a chance. We don’t use friends as bait in this squad, Keiji.” Asahi chuckled, not amused. “Why do you think they’re after you anyway?”

“I have this feeling in the back of my mind that keeps growing.” Keiji shrugged. “There were men making their way toward us from the woods, then they followed us to the front and side of the truck, and then they tried to get to us at all cost by following our steps. No one moved toward the store, not even one tried to make their way here. They should know there were more people inside. Isn’t that odd enough to you?”

“Sure it is, but you weren’t the only one out there.” Asahi grumbled when Keiji put pressure to the wound he had just found. “They could be after any of us by this logic.” he added through clenched teeth.

“Maybe…” Keiji trailed off. “But I also started getting this feeling from them. Like a color.”

“A color?” Asahi asked, confused.

“Yes.” Keiji nodded and looked at the alpha. “They keep thinking… or more like urging… for blue.”

Asahi scowled for a moment and was about to say that all this seemed just too ridiculous when his eyes locked with Keiji’s, seeing the sea of deep dark blue that looked like it could suck a person’s soul in a second. Somehow, the thought didn’t seem so strange anymore. He then remembered how one of the attackers held the fire when he saw that Keiji was the one helping Asahi after he was hit, thinking now if that had been a coincidence or not.

“Alpha?” a small voice spoke suddenly and both of them looked to the side, seeing a blonde girl with braided hair rushing to them with a concerned expression. “Are you alright? What happened?” she reached for the wound while also trying to look at Asahi’s back.

“I’m fine Rin, I don’t think it got any organs.” Asahi tried to smile but a pain shot from his hip and he cursed under his breath.

“It seems like it got all the way through, I can see the exit wound on the back.” the omega girl said before looking back at the alpha’s face. “But we still have to put pressure so you won’t bleed out.”

“Are you a doctor too?” Keiji asked curiously when she motioned for him to move away so she could put pressure properly, since he was not doing a good job apparently.

“No? I’m an omega.” she answered him matter of factly with a raised eyebrow, like he was dumb or something.

“And what does it have to do with anything?” he scowled at her, not really seeing her point.

“Okay, let’s just not get at this now.” Asahi said and grumbled when the girl pressured the wound. “Keiji, this is Aoki Rin, my mate. I taught her a few first aid techniques after we met.” he then looked at her, “Can you wrap this with something so I can move around enough to use my gun again? And where are the others?”

“They’re hiding in the storage room in the back, I came because I felt something was wrong.” she said and reached for the side pocket on Asahi’s thighs where she knew he always kept a roll of bandage. “Can you help me circle this around his waist? I need to keep the pressure.” she asked without looking at Keiji.

“Yes, sure.” he answered and got to work.

Asahi clenched his teeth with closed eyes as the omegas finished bandaging him up. It was not ideal, but it was all they could do for the moment, so he thanked them and tried to stand up after they finished, just to wobble dangerously after putting weight on his side.

“Maybe you should stay down for now?” Keiji said.

“I can’t protect this place from the floor.” Asahi said with a nod. “I’ll be fine, just need to get used to it for a bit.”

“Done!” Came the sudden happy cheer and they looked toward the door. Hinata was proudly beaming at the barricade on the door, while Yahaba was frowning at it. It all looked like a bunch of old furniture on top of each other, a few things falling here and there.

“I don’t think this will hold anyone that really tries to get in here.” Yahaba said, hands on his hips as he looked at the mess they build.

“WHAT!?” Hinata screeched terrified. “But we made a barricade! It works as a limit, doesn’t it?”

“So?” Yahaba raised an eyebrow at him.

“Shouldn’t they respect that? Like this is our territory?” Hinata asked.

“This is war, nobody respects anything.” Yahaba scoffed, he was about to say more but Keiji walked toward them and asked for silence.

“Listen…” he said with a hand up. “It’s quiet outside.”

Asahi limped to their side and tried to look through an old window without fully uncovering himself. He could see that most of the attackers were now taking cover behind the omega truck, which gave them perfect aim to the store’s front door. There were still a couple of men behind the car that had entered the place a moment ago, maybe more, but since it was parked a little to the side, he couldn’t see it clearly.

“They stopped moving.” Came a new voice from behind and they saw a sentinel with dark hair and blue eyes walking from the stairs that led to the roof.

“Kageyama.” Asahi nodded in greeting. “Thank you for the assistance earlier. Can you tell how many of them are outside?”

“Five behind the omega truck, other two by the car on the right side of the store. I can’t see if there’s anyone left behind the truck you came from, but I heard a few engines in the distance, there might be more of them in the trees.” Kageyama made his report before frowning at Asahi’s stained uniform. “Are you alright Azumane-san?”

“I am fine for now.” Asahi tried to dismiss the younger worries. “Any reason for them to stop?”

“Not that I could see. They just took cover and stopped moving. But are still aiming here, though.” Kageyama answered before looking around the omegas, stopping at the smaller one. “Where were you? Why weren’t you with the other omegas?”

“Ah! I… hum…” Hinata jumped and tried to mumble an excuse before Keiji took one step to shield him from the alpha, Kageyama opening his eyes a little at that, confused of why this omega was scowling at him.

“He was with us near the gas station when the attackers came.” Keiji said, eyes baring into Kageyama’s. “I was the one to keep him from running over here when the shooting began. He would have been hit in the spot.”

Kageyama blinked at that, not really understanding why this omega was looking so aggressive at him. He then took a look to the side and raised an eyebrow at the alpha doctor that was observing them.

“It’s true.” Asahi said. “I had sent Hinata to help them get wood earlier. They were trapped there when the shooting started.”

Kageyama then nodded. “Alright then.”

“Wait!” Yahaba barked from behind Keiji and Hinata. “Keiji just said that! Why does Asahi’s words worth more?”

Kageyama blinked confused again. “He’s an alpha.” he answered matter of factly.

Yahaba growled and took a couple of steps but Keiji stopped him before he could jump at Kageyama. The young alpha just looked like nothing was wrong and that was just the truth of the universe, still not understanding why these two omegas were acting so weird.

“Alright, let’s not turn on each other now.” Asahi said and walked between them, one hand on top of his bandaged wound and the other in the air to ask for a truce. “We need to work together if we want a chance to make out of this alive.”

“Can’t you just call for backup?” Yahaba stressed at Asahi. “There were plenty of armed assholes here this morning. Can’t they come back?” he said the insult with a gesture toward Kageyama to show exactly the kind of 'armed assholes' he was referring to. The comment made Hinata screech in fear and look around the group with wide eyes, even Rin who was quiet during the last argument took in a deep breath in surprise of Yahaba’s words.

“Shigeru.” Keiji said in a low voice, looking at his friend as trying to tell him to not stir things further. He saw the reactions and noticed that Kageyama just frowned, so he addressed the alpha next. “I apologize. His mouth is faster than his brain.” But that also does not mean his friend was wrong, though.

Kageyama blinked at them. “Only armed people here this morning were the squad’s sentinels.” he said as if not understanding all the fuss.

Keiji blinked surprised and Yahaba threw his hands in the air before turning around in despair, mumbling something about people not even being smart enough for insults.

“Okay, I think that's enough.” Asahi said to regain control of the situation before people started to throw punches at each other. “And to answer, I have been trying to call back the sentinels at both road blocks since these guys first showed up. Radio is totally silent.” He then looked at Kageyama. “Any luck with that?”

The other just shook his head. “No response. It’s like there’s no one out there.”

Asahi rubbed a hand on his face. “So either our radios are totally dead in this place, or the attackers got to them first.”

“What are the chances this is a communication issue?” Keiji asked the doctor.

“Pretty much none. Also, there is no way no one else heard all the shots being fired here. Sound just echoes in this clearing and the blocks aren’t that far. If the sentinels were out there, they would have heard and tried to contact us. If the radio was dead they would have sent someone to see what was going on.” Asahi said.

“So they’re probably dead?” Yahaba said and the doctor just looked down with a small nod. “Peachy. And what about the rest of the squad?”

“They are too far from here for the radio to actually work, especially in the middle of the forest.” Asahi said and looked around as if remembering something. “I was actually going to use the satellite phone to call them when things got complicated outside. Where is it?” He finished the question toward Keiji who was the one helping him take the things off his belt to tend the wound.

“That big yellow thing?” Keiji asked before walking back to where he had set the alpha earlier. “It’s here, but I don’t think it’s going to be much of a help.” he added with the phone in his hand, giving it back to the alpha who saw the big hole on its side.

“Dammit!” Asahi cursed while taking the phone in his hand. “It’s a bullet hole. It is probable from when I was shot, one of the bullets must have hit it on my belt. No wonder my hip is aching like hell.” the alpha tried to press buttons on it. “I don’t think I’ll be able to call Daichi now.”

“Wait.” Rin suddenly said, “May I take a look at it, alpha?”

“Sure, but half of the buttons are toasted.” Asahi said and passed the phone to her.

“The buttons are just the top panel. If the bullet didn’t fry the internal circuit, then I might be able to make a call.” she said and Asahi blinked surprised. “Has anyone seen a tool box around? I’m going to need a screwdriver or something to act like it.” she asked while looking around the old store.

“I’ll go look for one!” Hinata said and ran off, eager to use some energy in this angsty situation.

“But how are you going to call someone if you can’t use the buttons?” Yahaba approached and asked the girl. Keiji hadn’t questioned any of this since it was the first time he was actually seeing a phone, but Yahaba had a wired phone in his house back in his childhood days in the beta sector.

“This model is a paired one, special for field missions.” Rin told him while turning the device around to assess the damage further. “It can dial other numbers, but is also linked to a default number that connects it to the other device it’s paired with, like a speed dial or such.” she then looked at her alpha. “This one is probably linked to the one captain Sawamura has. The dial button for the recorded number is missing, but if the bullet hasn’t damaged this particular wire, then maybe we can still call him.”

“How do you know all this?” Asahi asked in wonder.

“Eve has-” Rin started just to cut her own line, cleaning her throat before continuing in a professional tone. “Omega Shimizu has shown me a few things about the communication devices.

Asahi blinked at that and raised an eyebrow when the omega girl averted his eyes in order of looking back at the phone in her hands. He knew that Evelyn must know a few things about comms, since Shimizu is her mate and the squad’s sentinel that deals with technology the most. It wouldn’t surprise him that she had taught her omega a few tricks, just like he had taught Rin how to do first aid procedures. The same goes for Sugawara and Kenma, who definitely learned a lot from Daichi and Kuroo through the years, all in their respective specialties. Normally an omega should not know any of this, but their close pack just usually brakes rules like that.

“Alright,” Asahi started, still wondering when Rin and Evelyn got so close to be able to share skills. “let’s see if this plan works before these guys start shooting back-”

As if on cue a couple of shots were fired from outside and the glass of the old window exploded in a thousand pieces. They all dropped to the ground and looked at the window as if the rebels would be running inside any second.

To their surprise no one came, and no more shots were fired. Kageyama ran to the wall beside the now open window and aimed outside, covering himself while trying to locate the targets. He fired a couple bullets to show that they were still resisting.

“I don’t see new movements.” Kageyama told Asahi. The doctor had limped toward a side window to also look outside.

“It looks like it was a warning shot. Are they waiting for something?” Asahi asked no one in particular.

“Or maybe they’re about to make demands.” Keiji whispered but Asahi heard pretty well, turning to look at him.

“Blue?” Asahi asked Keiji, the omega nodding back at him.

“Blue.” Keiji said and looked at Yahaba, his friend looking back at him in understanding.

“I found it!” Hinata yelled and ran back to them with a toolbox in hand.

“Get down, Boke!” Kageyama screeched toward him and the omega all but threw himself to the ground, mumbling a small _‘sorry’_ before giving the box to Rin, who immediately selected a tool from inside and started opening the phone’s panel.

“Stand down your fire Sentinels, we have you surrounded.” came a voice from the outside and they all froze.

“Is it him?” Asahi whispered to Keiji, not needing to specify if that was the telepath their squad had gone to arrest.

“No, he’s not here.” Keiji shook his head. He could still feel that presence guiding the men outside, but the source of it seemed to be farther away. “But he is out there somewhere.”

Asahi nodded and looked outside again, no movements. Then he whispered over his shoulder. “Rin? Can you do it?”

“I think I can, but I’ll need a few minutes.” she said from behind a shelf while messing with some wires on the open phone, Hinata by her side with sparkly eyes at the device.

“We might not have a few minutes.” Asahi said when he saw three more black clothed figures joining the others coming from the woods.

“Can we stall them?” Yahaba asked. “Since you know, it’s not just making the call. It is also waiting for the others to come back. Had they gone far?”

“Far enough for our radios not to work and to take some time to get back. Not long, but probably more than we can spare.” said Asahi.

“But wouldn’t they be coming back already?” Keiji asked. “Maybe they’re on their way after not finding the target there?”

“That depends on how much resistance they found on the farm.” Asahi explained. “And also how much evidence. Sometimes it can take a while to assemble everything and get back to camp.”

Their talk was cut when another couple of shots came through the opened window, landing on a wall and a top shelf inside.

“This will be our last warning.” came the same voice. “We demand you to stand down and surrender immediately. We’ll be taking your weapon and ammo trucks, but in extend of your lives we demand one of your party to accompany us.”

“Why are they negotiating?” Kageyama asked. “They have the upper hand, why hadn’t they tried to get inside yet?”

“Maybe they can’t tell how many of us are inside.” Asahi answered. Then it came to his mind that if Keiji was right and the rebels wanted him, then maybe they didn’t want to enter shooting and risk hitting the wrong person.

“Why don’t they just get the trucks anyway?” Yahaba asked. “There’s no one protecting them outside.

“Every truck has a lock on the steering wheel and ignition system. We always lock them while parked on the road, so we need the key to be able to drive them again. And the weapons and ammo trucks have their backs locked and the keys are with the drivers.” Asahi explained while still looking outside. “I got a master key to all of the trucks, though.” he added.

“So they also want to get inside for this key?” Yahaba asked.

“That if they know about it.” Asahi said. “This special lock is exclusive for military vehicles, so technically they shouldn’t know. And I can see the trucks from here, they hadn’t got inside the cabins yet, so they might not know of the key.”

And to throw all this talk away, the voice from outside told everything they needed to know.

“Send out the blue eyed omega with the lock key.” they demanded.

“Dammit!” Asahi cursed under his breath. “How could they know?”

“Blue eyed omega?” Kageyama asked, looking around and finding Keiji. “Why would they want you?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Keiji lied.

“I’ll repeat! Send out the blue eyed omega and the key right now or we’ll open fire.” the voice was getting louder.

“What do we do now?” Yahaba asked, exasperated.

“Rin! How much longer?” Asahi screeched.

“I’m almost there!” she said, hands flying through wires and the screwdriver working here and there to find the right connection.

“We might not make it in time.” Asahi said and messed with the radio on his shoulder, connecting a line that he knew would not work this far.

The static sound of an open line came from the radio, but the woods around them were blocking all the signal. Asahi tried to stabilize the connection at the same moment another car entered the clearing, parking beside the omega truck and pointing toward the front of the store.

“Azumane-san!” Kageyama said with wide eyes and Asahi looked to where he pointed, heart sinking and blood freezing when he saw that the new vehicle had a big military machine gun on top of it.

“Shit.” the doctor cursed again and messed more with the radio, speaking into it desperately. “Delta, Delta, do you copy? Is anyone there?”

Static was all they heard coming from the device, but Asahi tried again. “Delta, India! Bravo, Kilo or Oscar, does anyone copy!?” More static. Asahi was getting anxious, but he took a deep breath so the rising panic didn't show in his voice. “Delta, we need backup on camp. Hostiles had entered, target is here. Do you copy?”

Static was all they heard again, not even a sign that anyone else was listening.

“You have till the count of three to send out the omega!” the man yelled from outside. “ONE!”

“Kageyama, can you hit the shooter at the machine gun?” Asahi asked, trying to aim at the guy himself, but his position was not helping it, and there were no other windows other than the ones they were using.

“I don’t have a clear shot. He’s behind the freaking gun.” Kageyama answered him.

“TWO!” came the warning.

“Then shoot the gun!” Asahi said and both alphas started to shoot in hope that they could hit the guy or even damage the gun. “Everyone, move to the back! Get to the storage room with the others!” he yelled to the omegas before speaking with Kageyama again, “Do you think the roof has a better view?”

“Not with this many vehicles to ride behind.” Kageyama said back, still trying to hit the highest threat. “Only way would be getting this one from behind, but I don’t think you can hold here on your own, Azumane-san.” he added with a small nod toward Asahi’s wound.

The doctor looked down and saw that his uniform was damper than before, so he was probably bleeding again. He needed to stop moving around and put pressure immediately or this machine gun would be more a problem to others than himself.

“Shit, not now!” Asahi said and looked back to where the omegas were still around Rin and the satellite phone. “I told you to move to the back! Now!” he yelled at them.

“I’m almost getting it, alpha!” Rin said back.

“Take it with you!” Asahi yelled at her before his vision blurred and dizziness came to his head. He stopped shooting and held his back against the wall, grumbling and clenching his wound. Keiji and Yahaba shot to their feet and went to stabilize the alpha, moving him back from the wall and near the others on the floor.

“Just let me go to them Asahi-san.” Keiji said to what both Asahi and Yahaba screeched an _‘absolutely not!’_ , but he added nonetheless, “They asked for me, so they probably won’t kill me at sight.”

“That doesn’t mean they won’t kill you later!” Yahaba said to him.

“This may be the only way to keep everyone here alive!” Keiji tried again.

“That’s out of discussion, I don’t give people away for deals, Keiji.” Asahi said and grumbled painfully when he was set on the floor near his mate. “Rin, how’s it-”

“I think I got it!” she said before he could finish. She had the screwdriver pressured against a screw circled by two wires and suddenly they heard the small sound of a call being made. “Here, get closer to it so you can speak while I keep the screw steady and-”

“ONE!” the voice outside shouted suddenly and the next thing they heard was the machine gun opening fire, the sound louder than any other before. The heavy bullets hit the wall by the top of the barricaded door and moved to the side until the other end of the front wall, opening big holes that sent dust and debris everywhere. Bottles and shelves exploded inside when bullets got all the way through, sending shards of glass and wood all around.

They all pressured themselves against the floor while the bullets flew over their heads. Kageyama was still by the window, but he couldn’t do anything against this heavy fire, just like the others couldn’t risk to stand up and run to the back right now.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Yahaba cursed nonstop.

“We’re gonna die!” Hinata cried with his face against the floor and Keiji put one hand on top of his head to try preventing the other from having a panic attack, mumbling a few words of encouragement.

“Alpha!” Rin yelled and Asahi looked at her. She had laid on the floor like the others, but with her torso still a bit up with her hand still on the device, and when Asahi focused, he could hear that the call just connected.

Asahi put his face near the phone and tried their last hope. “Delta! Come back to camp, now!”

The response that came to them was the voice of their captain, it was not perfect, but they could hear the words clearly. However, Daichi was asking him to repeat, so that meant his voice wasn’t coming fully through. Asahi asked for help once again, while the bullets from outside made a turn on the end of the wall and moved back toward them, lower this time but still on top of their heads, but it made new things explode in shards all around.

Rin did not wavered, instead she got a better grip on the screwdriver and turned it more, then the sound got perfectly clear under the gunshot and they heard the captain’s voice coming from the call.

_“Hold on Asahi, I’ll try to get a better signal.”_ the captain had said.

“Daichi! Come back! We’re under attack!” Asahi yelled after and somehow knew that this time his message had got through. 

A small silence came from the other side of the line before he heard noises of running and such, then Daichi’s voice began to ask him about the situation, but Asahi couldn’t explain anything else. The ceiling of the old store stared to crumbling all around, pieces of plastering falling down as the heavy bullets continued to destroy the place over their heads. Asahi had heard when a big part of the ceiling came off right above him and his mate, looking up fast and then circling an arm around Rin’s waist and pulling her against himself. He hugged her and rolled them both away from the descending rubble, saving Rin from being buried under it, but also losing the satellite phone altogether.

“Alpha? Are you alright?” Rin asked when he left a painful sound, getting herself off him since Asahi had ended with his back on the ground and the girl on top of him.

“I’m fine…” he whispered while trying to control his breathing, his hand shakingly trying to pressure his wound.

“It’s bleeding again, you need to stop moving around while I figure out how to close this wound!” she told him.

“We’ll all stop moving around sooner than expected!” Yahaba shouted from the ground by Keiji’s side. “Did you make the call?”

“Yes, they heard it this time.” Asahi answered, taking a small look toward the debris on top of the now totally lost phone. “Can’t say they’ll arrive in time, though.

The glass of the second window exploded when the bullets got to it on the other side of the store, but to their surprise, it did not come back again. The shooting stopped when the line of fire reached the other end and the angry voice shouted again.

“You have ten seconds to send the omega before we start shooting again!”

Kageyama sprinted into action and ran toward the others. “Hurry! To the back, now!” he told the omegas and got to Asahi to help Rin get him off the floor.

Keiji also helped Hinata off the floor and the small omega guided them to the back, going straight for the storage room he saw earlier when looking for the toolbox. The omegas inside jumped scared when he opened the door, clearing the way for Kageyama and Rin to move Asahi inside. By the side of the door there was the wooden ladder that led to the roof, and Yahaba frowned upon seeing it.

“Hold on!” he whispered and took Keiji’s arm before he could enter the storage room, pointing up a finger. “Let’s get upstairs, maybe we can run away from there.”

“What?” Keiji looked at him. “We can’t abandon the others!”

“These guys will enter here any moment, and they're after you.” Yahaba said back. “They will kill everyone as soon as they get you, and we only have one sentinel here for protection, how long do you think it will take for them to kill us all?” he added and Keiji suddenly widened his eyes when an idea came to him, but Kageyama walked out of the room before he could say it.

“What are you two waiting for? Get inside now!” Kageyama scowled at them.

“No!” Keiji told him. “Yahaba-san is right, they’ll come anyway. I’ll get away through the roof, luckily they’ll follow and that will give you time for the squad to get back!”

“What!? NO!” Asahi’s voice came from inside the room along with Rin’s calls for him to not move. “Kageyama! Don’t let them leave!” the doctor shouted.

Kageyama was about to grab Keiji by the arm when the machine gun started again and they all took cover. The line of fire was now covering the half of the store away from the big open window, leaving room for the rebels to start moving toward it without people hiding on the other side. Keiji felt this plan on the back of his mind and looked toward Kageyama.

“They’ll enter through the window to face you upfront.” Keiji told Kageyama while pointing toward the front of the store. “Keep them from getting to you and the back room. They’ll turn around if you keep your ground as soon as they feel that I left.”

“How do you-” Kageyama started to say but more bottles exploded near them.

“Trust me.” Keiji said and looked toward Yahaba, the other nodding and moving to the ladder.

“No!” Asahi shouted again the same time that Hinata ran out the room. “Wait! Keiji-san!” the orange haired said.

“Get back inside, Boke!” Kageyama shouted and started shooting as the first rebel tried to get inside.

“Keiji, come on!” Yahaba shouted from above, already on the roof. Keiji was starting to climb the ladder when Hinata gripped at his shirt.

“Hinata-kun, you stay here. Help Rin-san with Asahi-san.” Keiji told the other.

“No! Let me help you guys! It’s dangerous outside!” Hinata said.

“No!” Keiji said sternly and looked the smaller omega in the eyes. “Do not follow us, you’re safer here.”

Hinata opened his mouth to say more but then frowned to himself when no sound came out. Keiji smiled and said they would be okay before climbing the ladder and taking the hand Yahaba was offering to help him up on the roof.

Once there, they walked to the end of it and looked around the back of the store, seeing men in black clothes already circling the building all around.

“Dammit, they're already everywhere.” Yahaba said. “Too bad I don’t know how to shoot, then I could get them from above.” then his eyes lightened up and he looked at Keiji. “Hey! How about you tell me to know how to shoot? Just wish for it!”

“Are you still with this wishing nonsense?” Keiji sighed and motioned to the rifle still on his friend’s back. “Why are you still carrying this? It’s more dangerous than useful right now. And an extra weight to carry around.”

“It may be useful.” Yahaba shrugged. “Besides… Hey! What’s that? Behind the trees?” he added when something caught his eyes down the trees behind the store, suddenly more men came from the exact direction.”

“Looks like a car.” Keiji said and they both laid on the ground to look down at the newcomers. “These guys are getting reinforcements. We need to get out of here.” around them the sound of bullets was still loud and clear, so he knew the others in the store didn’t have much time.

Yahaba looked down over the store’s back wall and saw no ladder to climb down, just a huge metal pipe that went from the top of the roof to the ground.

“Well, no stairs here and it’s a big fall to just jump.” Yahaba said and looked at Keiji. “Wanna try getting down using the pipe? It looks strong enough to stand our weight.”

“Nothing we never did before.” Keiji said with a small smile, remembering how many pipes and metal poles they used in the past to climb walls up and down while running for their lives in Sector C. “How are we going to get these guys out of the way, though?” he asked and pointed to the bunch of men on the ground, all ignoring their presences on top of their heads while trying to invade the store from the small window on the back.

“I think I have an idea.” Yahaba smirked and retrieved something from his back, proudly showing a hand grenade.

“How the hell did get this!?” Keiji asked with wide eyes.

“From the doctor’s belt!” Yahaba smiled victorious. “You had taken his belt off when you were looking for his wound, remember? I saw it on the ground when you went to take the phone for the girl to see, so I took it as a souvenir!”

“This thing can explode on you Shigeru!” Keiji said exasperated.

“Or… we can explode our path free!” Yahaba said and pointed to the ground.

“And do you even know how to use it?” Keiji sighed in defeat.

“No…” Yahaba said, a little dejected. “But I saw plenty of war movies while growing up, so I know we need to take off a tip of something-”

Yahaba was cut out when a loud crash sound came from below when the continuous fire from the machine gun made the front side of the store crumble to pieces. The sound was so loud that it made the omegas jump, and Yahaba ended up losing his grip and dropping the grenade all way down to the ground.

Keiji could only watch in terror as the grenade fell toward the men behind the store, the fall being high enough for the thing to explode as soon as it hit the ground. The omegas protected themselves when dirt, metal and God knows what else flew through the air, and the force of the explosion made the whole building tremble for a moment. 

A deafening silence followed right after, even the machine gun had stopped its attack. Keiji and Yahaba slowly looked down to see the massive destruction they unintentionally caused.

“Oops...” Yahaba mumbled when Keiji stared him down. “Sorry?” he whispered.

“If you ever even think about messing with explosives ever again Shigeru, I’ll kick you myself.” Keiji threatened before moving and bending himself down so he could grab onto the pipe by the side of the building. “Now let’s go, the others won’t stay away for long.”

Keiji firmly secured his hands around the pipe, his feet balancing his descend with both pipe and wall, taking only a minute or so to reach the ground. He tried to ignore the scene around him, blood and remains he avoided his eyes from while he raised his hands up to stead Yahaba’s descend. He knew they had just killed people there, and he didn’t like it. Sure, those people would have killed everyone inside the store, him and his friend included, and the others on the front might still do it, but even so, he didn’t want to kill anyone. He did not want to be the cause of anyone’s death.

Still, this was reality. And his reality right now was a war zone, worse than everything he saw before, but still not as bad as he knew it could get. So there was blood? Yes. But he has to survive through it. And to protect the ones he loves, he will do it. So when Yahaba reached the ground Keiji whispered an apology inside his head to anyone who was getting caught in the middle of their escape, wishing for the others in the store to be okay, and then turning around to run to the trees that they hoped would cover for them.

Behind the first trees, the terrain slightly inclined down, and they both ran carefully so they would not fall. There was indeed a car parked ahead, and when they approached, they saw that the place had a small dirt trail, just wide enough to fit one car, with tire marks on the ground to show an off-road path or something.

“That’s probably how they surrounded us so easily.” Yahaba said while looking around the path. “They might have more of these inner paths through the woods, so they can move without using the main road.”

“Would this help them avoid the sentinels that went for them?” Keiji asked while looking inside the car to see if there was anything useful they could take, seeing the key still in the ignition by the wheel and a bunch of bullet cartridges scattered on the vehicle’s floor. 

“Maybe yes, if this path is connected to wherever they came from.” Yahaba shrugged, getting the rifle from his back. It was indeed too heavy and he was really thinking about leaving it behind.

“Alright, let’s just hope they come back soon to help Asahi-san and the others.” Keiji said before moving to get out of the car, he found three water bottles that they could take with them. “Let’s get moving before they find out-”

His line was cut when a bullet landed on top of the car, followed by other two that landed on the side of it, too close for comfort. They looked up to where they came from and saw the shooters in back clothes coming for them. Keiji tried to circle the car to join Yahaba on the other side so they could run for the woods, but then another bullet landed right in front of his face, making him stumble backwards in fear.

He lost the water bottles in that last movement, and decided to jump inside the car to get to the other side and run with his friend. Yahaba, who had crouched down behind the vehicle for cover, opened the passenger door to help Keiji through it, pulling him by his hand and moving to run toward the trees. Then an engine sounded from down the path and another wave of bullets landed exactly on the trees they were running for, coming from another shooter in a motorcycle running toward them.

“Shit! Go back to the car!” Yahaba yelled and pushed Keiji back, both stumbling inside the car and closing the passenger’s door just a second before the motorcycle passed by its side, metal scratching against metal as it passed through the narrow path.

Due to its speed, the motorcycle still got further away before the man on it could turn around to come back for them, while more were coming running down from Keiji’s side. The omegas looked around in panic as people got closer, bullets were fired toward them and the car windows were exploding on both sides. Only heavens would know how they were not hit yet, but that could not be far from happening.

Keiji felt his blood freeze when he realized that this was it, this was how they died. Suddenly everything started to get in slow motion when he saw Yahaba protecting his face with a hand when the window by his side came to pieces, his other hand still clutching the stolen rifle. Keiji felt air returning to his lungs when he took a deep breath while seeing his friend’s panicked expression. He didn’t want to die, but most of all, he didn’t want his friend to die.

So when he mentally asked himself what he could do avoid it, a voice came to his mind, and time seemed to stop for a second.

_You still have a chance. You know how to do it._

Keiji looked ahead to the motorcycle coming in their direction, the guy aiming a handgun toward them. He fired and the bullet opened a hole on the front glass and passed between both omegas, but Keiji knew that the next one would hit them.

So he opened his mouth and gave the order.

“Yahaba-san. It’s time for you to shoot.” he said, and then everything came back to its normal time, too fast and too dangerous. Yahaba turned toward Keiji with wide eyes and the next movement took place in less than a couple seconds.

“Shoot Shigeru! Shoot!” Keiji shouted and in an instant Yahaba’s posture changed, with wide eyes he gripped the gun with a hand and steadied it with the other, pressuring it against his shoulder in a perfect balance. The guy in the motorcycle didn’t have time to shoot a second bullet, and as soon as Yahaba pressed the trigger, the man was landing on the ground with a clear shot on the forehead, his vehicle lost itself on the trees by the side of the path.

“Down!” Yahaba yelled at Keiji and he dunked his head down onto the steering wheel seconds before his friend turned to his side, aiming the gun over Keiji’s body and shooting two men that were running toward them, then he turned even more and shot through the back window, hitting three more in a fast strike.

Everything happened so fast that when the last man fell to the ground, Yahaba left a breath he did not know he was holding. He looked at his friend when Keiji adjusted himself on the driver’s seat and looked forward, somewhat asking himself if any of this was real.

“Oh my God!” Yahaba left a nervous laugh, also adjusting himself on his seat. “Did you just see this!? Did I really do it!?”

Before Keiji could answer new bullets flew from above, and in the distance, they could hear the machine gun resuming its attack against the store once more. They looked to the side and noticed more people coming for them, still far and hidden behind the trees, but running down fast and steady. Keiji looked ahead again before looking toward the steering wheel in front of him and the car keys jingling on the ignition. Then that same voice repeated itself inside his head.

_You know how to do it._

And then he actually knew.

As if guided by a mysterious shadow that placed his hand in the exactly right places, like following the movements of another person that came before, borrowing a knowledge shared by blood, Keiji turned the keys and the car came to life.

“Time to go.” Keiji said.

“Wait… do you even know how to-” Yahaba stopped his line when Keiji’s hand shot to get the handbrake down, put the car on first gear, and step down the acceleration pedal. Then the car left a dirt cloud on their backs as Keiji sped down the path.

“What?” Keiji smirked toward Yahaba’s surprised face. “If you can shoot, why can’t I drive?”

“Hell YEAH!!” Yahaba shouted in joy, fisting the car’s ceiling as Keiji drove them out, their attackers far behind.

“Now buckle up, I don’t want to cause an accident.” Keiji said, still smiling and buckling himself up with one hand while the other remained on the steering wheel. Yahaba just scoffed at that but did the same, gun between his legs as he laughed a little more.

They drove down the path until it connected with the road, the exit to it being literally hidden between two old trees that could be pretty difficult to notice from the other side. Keiji maneuvered the car perfectly and hit the road with a simple turn of the wheel, but to Yahaba’s surprise, he turned left toward the squad’s convoy instead of driving away from it.

“What are you doing?” Yahaba asked. “I thought we were running away!”

“And we are.” Keiji said. “But I don’t want to just run while the others get killed instead. Get yourself ready to shoot again, we’re taking that freaking machine gun down.”

Yahaba smirked and prepared the rifle, a moment later, Keiji was entering the clearing after passing by the convoy’s parked trucks. He drove past the first car parked by the side of the store and without slowing down, paralleled their car with the one that held the machine gun on top of it. He again saw everything in slow motion as he speed passed by it, with Yahaba aiming the rifle to shoot through the back window once again.

“Get the guy on the top, then also get rid of the gun!” he told his friend and Yahaba shot three times. The first bullet hit the guy in the thigh and he fell down just in time for the other couple bullets to hit the machine gun in the exact place to trap the ammo chain.

“Haha!” Yahaba cried in victory as Keiji sped down the road away from the clearing. “Heck did I just do!? I feel like I’m in an action movie!”

Keiji scoffed. “Don’t ask, I don’t even want to think about what’s happening right now.” he smiled a little. “Let’s just take our luck strike and go home.”

“Hell yeah! Back to Tokyo!” Yahaba said with a huge smile.

“Do you still have the map? Does it show the road we’re in?” Keiji asked.

“Wait, let me see.” Yahaba said and got the folded paper out of his shirt, opening it in front of himself while Keiji kept his attention on the road ahead.

“If I’m not wrong, I think we might be around here…” Yahaba mumbled while pointing to a place on the map. “This is the main road that I believe the squad was using to get south toward Fukuoka. But maybe we changed directions in order to get here…” he trailed off.

“Wait, look.” Keiji pointed and Yahaba looked up from the map. “A road sign.”

“Bingo!” Yahaba said after reading the words in the sign when Keiji passed by it. “I think I got it! Looks like we got a little west off the rote, but still going south. We are on an inner road, but there is a connection to the main highway a couple miles ahead. We can get there and hit the highway back to Tokyo.”

Keiji was about to agree when something showed up ahead. He slowed down a little so that he could circle around the vehicle in the middle.

“It’s the squad’s roadblock.” Keiji whispered, seeing a military car cross-parked in the middle of the road, its doors opened and three figures laid on the ground.

“I think we figured out why they didn’t answer the radio when the doctor called before.” Yahaba said in a low voice, taking in the blood splashed on the vehicle and the road as Keiji passed slowly beside it to keep going, leaving the block on their backs with a dread feeling.

“The other block was probably hit the same way.” Keiji said after the scene disappeared on their backs.

“Hey, this is not your fault.” Yahaba told him.

“Is it not?” Keiji said back and looked at Yahaba with sad eyes. “Because it does feel like it.”

Yahaba was about to say more when the sound of engines and bullets got to them again. He looked back to see a car and a couple of motorcycles speeding toward them.

“Shit! They’re really into it now.” Yahaba said as the rearview mirror on his side exploded in a bunch of shards when a bullet hit it. “Speed up Keiji! We need to run!”

Keiji stepped down the pedal hard and the car ran faster, wobbling a little because of the speed, making the omega hold the wheel tighter.

“We have to outrun them somehow…” Yahaba said. “Do you think we can trick them into losing us?”

“Maybe…” Keiji said and looked at their pursuers through the rearview. Then a feeling got to him and he looked ahead. “Bokuto’s coming.” he whispered.

“What? Where?” Yahaba asked and looked around.

“I don’t know but…” Keiji trailed off. “Anyway, the squad came this way right? Maybe we could go to them.”

“Yeah…” Yahaba thought for a moment before saying with determination. “Yeah! Keep going. We’ll get to them and they will get rid of these guys on our tails. Then we just keep speeding away before they can stop us. We ditch the car after a few miles and flee through the woods.”

“Okay…” Keiji said in a small voice.

“Keiji… we need to hold onto this chance.” Yahaba told him, feeling his friend’s doubt.

“I know.” Keiji said. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep going while they deal with these guys-”

But right in time a sudden motorcycle jumped on them from the left, probably coming from another dirt path from the middle of the trees. The motorcycle smashed against Keiji’s door, sending a piercing pain to the omega’s side. The pilot flew over the car and ended on the road somewhere behind them, but the impact was enough to scare the omegas and Keiji ended up losing control of the car.

The vehicle slid on the road and ran out of it, going for the trees. Keiji tried to get back the control over it but ended up hitting a hole on the side, sending the car over a big rock on the dirt, lifting it up and throwing it off balance. The car fell and flipped over itself, the speed enough to make it do a full roll before smashing against a big tree.

Everything was spinning when Keiji felt that the car had finally stopped. He tried to look around but his sight was off, bright white light on his eyes and a _zooning_ sound on his ears. He could feel something warm sliding over his face, wetting his left eye and making it sting. He tried to move his hands and unclip the belt holding him on the seat, but he was too dizzy to do anything.

“Dang…” Yahaba said by his side. “Hell, I think now we’re really screwed. Hey bud, you okay?” he asked while trying to move his right arm that was aching terribly.

“I… I think I am but… I need a moment.” Keiji said slowly.

Yahaba unbuckled himself and was about to say more when suddenly the door on Keiji’s side was ripped open, and big rough hands pulled the omega off his seat just to be thrown on the ground.

“Keiji!” Yahaba screamed and tried to open his door to run toward his friend, just to stumble out of the car, dizzily holding onto the door when his head seemed to spin around. He then managed to focus enough to look up just to be received by the sight of a black clothed man.

“Game over omega.” the person said and punched Yahaba’s face, making him fall to the ground while black spots filled his vision altogether. Next thing he knew he was being dragged across the dirt ground by the back of his shirt while a deep voice spoke to someone else, “We got the omegas, bringing to you now.”

__________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops... did anyone survived?
> 
> This chapter ended up being right in the weekend of Akaashi's birthday and I'm living for it! I thought about posting it yesterday as a birthday present, but I was having a headache after my language class and I got too lazy for it. But still, the car scene felt like a present anyway, and I loved it!
> 
> Now... this is the day I didn't want to talk about hiatus but...   
> Thing is, I am still writing chapter 16. I believe I can finish it before next sunday, ut I can't actually promisse that. So if I finish it, I'll post it then, if not... I'm sorry.  
> I'll try not having you guys waiting around for long, I don't want anyone to lose interest in the story, so I promisse to try hard with the next chapters!
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone that's reading this story. Since I won't be able to update every week anymore, I'm thinking about sharing my writing developments during the week through Tumblr so no one has to get too anxious. Would you guys want that?
> 
> Hope everyone enjoyed! See you next chapter! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY AKAASHI!!!


	16. Not Safer, Just Less Dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I Love you, Brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning people! I made it in time for sunday! Yay!
> 
> I'm keeping the trigger warning for death like last chapter, also blood, choking and mentions of torture, physical and psychological. And there's a tag for Near Death Experience, so take it seriously.  
> I tried to not make it very graphic tho. Be careful!
> 
> See you in the end!

November 13th - Somewhere in the Woods

If someone asked and Keiji answered that he was fine he would definitely be lying. Actually, there was no way anyone would even believe it. His head was spinning, his sight was either pinch black or bright white, he didn’t know where he was or even why his body was wobbling as if someone was recklessly carrying him around like an old bag.

On second thought, that might just be the case right now.

Keiji tried to open his eyes and regain a little control of himself. His head was throbbing in pain, all of his body aching, especially the left side of his torso and his right leg. He could feel his face wet, and when he opened his eyes the left one was flooded with warm liquid that made it sting painfully. He hurryingly closed that eye again hard and blinked with his right one, looking down from where his body was bending to try getting a grip of his surroundings. When he managed to focus his sight, he realized he was indeed being carried, his body slumped onto someone’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The person’s shoulder was painfully sticking into his stomach, and now he could also feel all his blood going to his head since his upper body was actually upside down.

Keiji could not help but moan in pain when he tried to move. His body didn’t seem to be his own right now, and he needed to change that position and sit down for a moment. But to his horror, the second the sound escaped him, an angry voice echoed from above.

“Good, you’re awake, that means you can walk by yourself.” and suddenly Keiji felt the rough hand previously on top of his back push him out of his position and disappear altogether, then a second later he was hitting the ground onto his right side, feeling hard little rocks and small branches and roots claw into his skin as he connected to the dirt ground.

“Hey! Careful with him!” another voice said in a hurry, pissed but also concerned. This voice he knew, was that his friend?

“Yahaba-san?” Keiji mumbled while trying to look around. He heard someone coming toward him but another voice barked for them to stop, and next there was the sound of struggle and someone being dragged away. Keiji moved his head a little and opened his right eye again to try locating the source of everything.

“Let go of me! Keiji!” Keiji heard Yahaba saying and was now able to see his friend being dragged away by two big figures that held onto both his arms and made him stumble along while walking away from him. 

His sight was still a little unfocused, but Keiji still noticed his friend looking behind to call for him. He didn’t have the chance to reply since not even a moment later, rough hands latched onto his upper left arm, right on top of his healing burn, and howled him up onto his feet, making him start walking after Yahaba and the other two. Keiji more stumbled than walked, but the burning pain on his arm where the hand was squeezing him was enough to wake him up a little more. He was still dizzy, but he could see his surroundings better now.

Keiji looked around to realize they were walking along a trail into the woods, trees everywhere with that distinguished forest sound, with the chirp of birds and small animals moving around. The scent was also something new to him, being born and growing up among buildings and dumpsters, this was something he never experienced before. Too bad he didn’t have the time to appreciate it further, since someone was basically dragging and hurting him right now. So he gathered his strength and tried to free himself from those rough hands, feeling his body aching and his mouth completely dry, having to take a deep breath to try even his hoarse voice.

“Who are you? Where are you taking me?” Keiji asked a couple of minutes later, looking toward his captor who was still covering his head with a black mask. He moved around again but all it did was make the hand squeeze his arm harder, making his wound burn even more and sending a wave of pain around his body.

“Shut your mouth or I’ll punch you again.” the man barked at him with threatening eyes, pulling him to walk faster after the ones taking Yahaba.

So he was knocked out, huh? That explains why he passed out after the car crash, that now he remembered more clearly. He had been conscious then, when the car stopped moving when hitting that big tree. Sure, he was dizzy at the moment, but he was sure he was awake enough at the time until a sudden hand covered in black dragged him out of the car and then something hit him hard. Next thing he knew he was being carried and tossed down again, everything just adding to the pain he already felt from the crash.

This was bad, really, really bad. And totally unfair too. One moment he and Yahaba were running away with an escape vehicle and enough supplies to get them back home, and then out of the blue someone flies onto them to get them off road and be captured all over again. And this time their captors were much rougher and considerably more imminent dangerous. Also, Keiji’s mind is still off, all the previous certainty and clearness gone, leaving behind just an extreme headache that kept pounding against his head.

The men kept walking a while more until they all reached a small clearing. It wasn’t connected to the road like where the squad parked before, being no more than a small open space in the middle of the woods, from where a warm sun could reach them, but still not hot enough to dissipate the chill that hovered around as if announcing the approaching winter. Three other figures were waiting for them there, and Keiji felt his blood freezing in his veins when he recognized one of them.

“Well, finally you all decided to join us,” the man said. “What took you so long?”

“Next time you try to drag this little shit through the woods yourself.” one of the men holding Yahaba said when entering the clearing, throwing the omega to the ground onto his knees painfully. “We would have gotten here sooner if you had let us drive closer before walking among the trees.” he added while spitting onto a tree as if it had personally offended him.

“And leave a vehicle parked near here so the sentinels could find us faster? Not a chance.” the first man answered without looking toward the other, as if talking to an idiot. Then his eyes looked toward Keiji when he was also thrown to the ground a little far from Yahaba. “I need time to assess things here before deciding what to do. Take the time we have while the squad hover around the farm.” he added while looking intently at Keiji.

“Hey,” Yahaba spoke lightly toward Keiji, trying to get his friend’s attention from the man staring him down. “You’re alright?”

“Yeah, kind of…” Keiji said and looked toward Yahaba, trying to flee from the man’s gaze. He looked at his friend, seeing that the other had a cut above his right eye that bled down the side of his face, as well as a cut in his bottom lip. He was also holding a hand against his side, but overall he seemed to be fine for now. At least as much fine as it’s possible to be in this situation, since Keiji was also aware that himself was hurting all around, and now that he has time to think, the warm liquid on his face is clearly blood that slid from the top of his head and now left small drops all over his shirt. “What about you?” he asked his friend.

“Clearly fine for now, don’t you think?” the man spoke loudly to cut Yahaba’s response and walked toward Keiji. “Both are awake and able to talk. Good. I have some questions for you.”

Keiji looked up from his spot on the ground when the man got closer to him, crouching in front of him and taking his chin onto his slender but still rough hands. There was no doubt, this one was the telepath that attacked the squad’s camp the day before. Keiji stared at the light green eyes that bared into his blue ones, not wanting to lose the dominance battle the man was trying to impose.

Those eyes kept watching him for a couple minutes, the blond short hair moving along the forest breeze that passed them, revealing a long old scar on the side of the man’s face. Keiji didn’t blink, realizing that this guy was trying to enter his mind to look for things. The hand on his chin was sending buzzing stinging feelings among his skin, as if forcing a way through. Keiji then remembered something similar when the woman had caused the burning that now ached his left arm all over again.

“Hey! The hell you think you’re doing!?” Yahaba barked at the man touching Keiji and went for standing to get him away, but one of the others kicked his leg and threw him back onto the ground.

“Well, clearly it won’t be so easy.” the green eyed man said and let go of Keiji’s chin, looking at Yahaba who was getting up again from the spot he had fallen. “You two seem pretty much decided to not help a fellow omega guide, I see.” he spoke sarcastically and stood up to walk around a little.

“One, screw you, we’re not friends.” Yahaba said, sitting back onto his knees like Keiji was. He didn’t like this position, but he knew he would risk being tossed to the ground again if he stood to his feet. “And two, we’re not guides, so screw you again.” he bit defiantly.

“Not guides?” the green eyed omega said with a cocked eyebrow. “Let me see.”

Suddenly the men behind Keiji and Yahaba moved forward and held onto the omegas’ shoulders, pulling the collar of their long sleeved shirts to show the curve of their necks where their scent glands were closed onto the smooth skin. They tried to push the men away, but the others were strong enough to hold them in place, painfully squeezing the bones under their hands.

“Hum… indeed. No bond mark.” the blonde omega said after looking at them, making Keiji and Yahaba feel terribly exposed. Then he waved a hand in dismissal and the others let go of both omegas. “This is actually good. No bond means no sentinel will be able to follow you here. Not that those bastards would ever risk themselves to save an omega though.” he added spiteful.

“Well, since now you believe we’re not with the sentinels, you can let us go. We have nothing to do with your squabble against them.” Yahaba said, fixing his shirt back in place before slightly massaging his shoulder.

“Oh no, don’t get me wrong. Bonded or not, if you’re here you are a part of the squad, that’s for sure.” the guy dismissed Yahaba with another wave. “I know how these things work, you would probably mate one of the sentinels once you reach the next base. There’s no escaping that.” the man chuckled when both omegas just stared surprised at him. “What? Didn’t you believe me when I said I was a fellow guide?” he added.

“We don’t need to believe you or not.” Keiji said. “We want nothing to do with sentinels and guides. Please, let us go.”

“Well that won’t do since I do want to know more about you.” the man looked toward Keiji intently. “Especially why you are a part of the sentinel squad.”

“We were kidnapped and held against our will.” Yahaba said through clenched teeth. “There, can we go now?” he added sarcastically.

“Nothing out of the ordinary.” the man shrugged. “But you see, what intrigues me the most is why the office allows you to be a part of this particular squad. You are the one they’ve been looking for, after all.”

Keiji and Yahaba blinked confused at that. “The hell does that mean?” Yahaba barked a minute later.

“Exactly what I just said.” he dismissed Yahaba again. “Where are you from?” he asked Keiji.

“None of your business.” Keiji said flatly.

“It actually is.” the guy crouched in front of Keiji again. “Because either you’re from the breeding center and omega school, and the commanding office is letting you stay with the squad, which would make no sense, or you’re from somewhere they don’t control and you are here right under their filthy noses. Either way it is my business, so I suggest you start talking.”

Keiji held the man’s gaze and said nothing more. He could feel the other getting impatient, and that could be dangerous for them, but he couldn’t just answer the questions and risk putting Yaku and the elders in danger. Their home was a hiding place for all of them, and Keiji would be damned before letting anyone into their doorstep.

“So I see we’ll have to do it on the hard way, right?” the guy said, rising up again. “Hold him up.” he added and then two pairs of hands grabbed onto each of Keiji’s arms and howled him up from the ground, hitting his back against a nearby tree and holding him there.

“Hey! Let him go!” Yahaba yelled after hearing Keiji’s groan when they hit his back on the tree. He tried to stand up again and run to his friend, not managing even one full step before someone kicked him from behind again, sending him to the ground face first, this time holding him there with a foot pressing against his back.

“I may let him go if the information he gives me is good enough.” the blond omega said and walked toward Keiji, grabbing his face roughly and connecting their eyes. “Who are you?”

“No one.” Keiji growled slowly.

“Where are you from?” the other asked.

“None of your business.” Keiji said again and saw how maniac the guy’s eyes were becoming, also noticing now the dark shadows under it, signaling how exhausted the other must be. It did not surprise him really, since this was at least the second day in a roll that the blonde-haired executed a full attack onto a sentinel camp. His mind must have been drained by now, which would just make him more angry and impatient, plus considerably more dangerous.

“Wrong answer.” the guy said and suddenly Keiji felt the fist connecting with his face. It sent his head back against the tree and everything spun again.

“Stop it!” Yahaba yelled from the ground, the foot only pressuring him down harder.

“Why does the military want you?” the guy yelled at Keiji. “What are you to them?”

“I don’t know.” Keiji said with a groan, looking back at the blond just in time to see another punch approaching, being hit now in the chin and having his head tossed to the left from the impact.

“Tell me what do you know that they want!” he yelled again and Keiji heard it so far away that he realized he was almost passing out again.

“Stop!” Yahaba yelled again, trying to free himself to help his friend. “We don’t know anything! They just want us as guides for their sentinels!”

“NO!” the blond shouted and looked maniacally toward Yahaba. “That’s what I was! ME! I was a guide and that wasn’t enough for them! They wanted more! They wanted something I didn’t know, something he does!” he finished while pointing toward Keiji.

“What?” Yahaba mumbled, looking at the blond omega that now was panting from exhaustion. Suddenly the man started to laugh before taking a few steps away from them and to the other edge of the small clearing.

Yahaba watched the laughing maniac for a moment before looking toward his friend. Keiji was looking bad, blood and bruising all around his face, but somehow still awake. He lifted his head again and focused his sight onto Yahaba, nodding slowly as if telling he was okay. Yahaba cursed under his breath and looked back at the man that stopped laughing and now was easing his breaths before turning toward them again.

“I was that.” the man said again, calmer this time. He turned back to look at Yahaba. “I was a damn good guide. I believed in the mission, the cause! I was the best in my class all along school, I accepted the mate that picked me, I wanted to make him stronger! And what did I get from that? Prison and torture!” he barked. 

“Why? What did you do?” Yahaba asked. He wasn’t interested really, but he knew that the longer he kept this guy talking, less he would be punching Keiji for answers. Maybe long enough for him to find a way to get them out of this situation.

The blond laughed again. “What did I do!? I tried to make him stronger! He picked me, so he ought to be strong right? What else would he come for me?” He took a couple steps toward them. “But no. He had only three enhanced senses, barely the cut of the sentinel’s hierarchy. He was a nobody!” he looked toward the sky and took a deep breath again. “But I could look past that. I could accept him if he wanted to be better. I could make him stronger! If only that freaking douchebag wasn’t that lazy!”

“So he didn’t want your help?” Yahaba asked.

“He was a joke!” he yelled. “I talked to him over and over again, asked him to participate more in the meetings, to offer for more individual missions, be in the commander’s good graces. I asked him to be a soldier! I promised him I could make him great, that I could enhance another of his senses, because deep in my bones I knew I had the means to it.” he shook his head. “But all he did was laugh and dismiss my request. Said that he didn’t want to be any different. That he wanted to retire to a post in a countryside town to get away from the big missions. He was a lazy coward that didn’t own up for the privileges he had just for being an alpha!”

“So he didn’t want to be the best. What’s the big deal?” Yahaba was getting frustrated with this self-absorbed maniac.

“He was born an alpha!” the man yelled and stomped toward Yahaba, crouching down and taking his hair into his hands, pulling his head back to look into the omega’s eyes. “He had everything better just for presenting the right way! The least he could do was have the ambition his position required. The least he could do after picking me was aspire to greatness so that I could be a part of that too!”

Yahaba did not reply to that, looking inside the green eyes that were staring into his own and holding back himself to not bite the guy who was inches from his face. The force the other was pulling his hair with was starting to hurt a bit too much, and he tried to steady his breath to not lose control himself. Then a small chuckle got to their ears and both looked to where Keiji was still held against the tree.

“Seems to me that his only crime was not sharing your superiority complex.” Keiji said with disdain.

The man growled and released Yahaba’s hair in order to march toward Keiji. Yahaba cursed and tried to grab onto his foot to hold him back but was kicked in the ribs from someone beside him. The blond omega got to Keiji and delivered a painful punch to his stomach, getting all his air out and making him double a little in pain, then he grabbed onto the raven hair and made Keiji look into his eyes.

“I’ll show you the superiority complex.” the blond snarled into his face. “And I’ll do that while I get every single answer out of you. Just like they did to me after my useless mate died.”

“So you did end up killing him?” Keiji said back, voice rough and tired.

The blond laughed into his face. “He died because he was weak. I did as I promised, I got another of his senses enhanced, I trusted it would make him realize the chances he had, proving I could make him stronger.” he harshly let go of Keiji’s hair and the raven’s head wobbled a little. “It’s not my fault that his brain shut down two days later for overload.”

“You damn bastard!” Yahaba barked from the ground and the blond only spared him an annoyed look. “It is your fault! You killed him!”

“His weakness killed him.” the blond said. “But instead, people did blame me. I was just doing my job, and instead of giving me a stronger alpha to mate, instead of giving me the chance to prove I could give them the most perfect sentinel ever seen, they locked and tortured me for things I could never know.” then he looked back at Keiji, pointing a finger in front of his face. “And that’s where you come in. First thing they said was that I didn’t have the right eyes, that I was not the ‘ _blue one’_.”

Keiji gulped involuntarily at that. The blond smiled wickedly at him, continuing his speech after a moment in silence.

“They did keep torturing me though. Even knowing I wasn’t the one they wanted, they had this idea that somehow I would know where that person would be. Even knowing I was born and raised inside the breeding center, inside their own omega school!” he shouted. “They kept torturing me for answers I didn’t have. They were searching me for someone else’s knowledge.” he panted a little, pupils large and sweat running down his face.

“So I promised myself that I would find you.” he continued again. “I promised that if someday I find this blue-eyed omega they wanted so desperately, I would then find out what they would hide. What is the information those damn people wanted so much. And with that I would have the power they wanted and use it to overthrown them myself!” he laughed. “But you were a hard one to find, and honestly I had already given you up after a couple years. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I went to retrieve one of my empaths and felt you in that camp. When I felt your mind challenging mine, I knew it was you.”

“I didn’t challenge you.” Keiji said.

“Oh but you did, either consciously or not, which just makes things more interesting.” the man then took a step back and reached for a handgun on his back, pointing it straight at Keiji’s face. “So I will give you one more chance, and your answers will decide if you live or die today.”

“NO!” Yahaba yelled desperately, trying to free himself again, a couple of tears ran down his face in fear and frustration. “You can’t shoot him! What good would that bring to you!?”

“Depending on what is it that the military wants with him I can either use it against them or deprive them of it altogether.” the man said, eyes and gun not moving away from Keiji. “I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t need empaths by my side, since it’s difficult to find omegas in beta villages these days, but I also don’t need someone that could just be a threat to myself one day.”

“He’s not a threat to you!” Yahaba yelled. “We’re just trying to go home! We want nothing to do with the military! Neither with you rebels! Let us go, I swear that you’ll never see or hear from us ever again!”

“The thing that kept me alive until now is not trusting people I cannot control.” the man gave a side smile toward Keiji. “And I’ve been trying to read your mind ever since you stepped foot into this clearing, just to be continuously blocked by something more powerful than anything I’ve ever seen before. So the only way you make out of this alive is giving me something to use against my enemies.”

“But he doesn’t know anything!” Yahaba said.

“I will be the judge of that.” the blond released the gun’s safety lock with a click. “Who are you? What do they want with you?” he asked Keiji.

“I. Don’t. Know.” Keiji growled.

Yahaba yelled when the man shot a bullet right past the side of Keiji’s head, missing the raven for inches. The omega on the ground cried in fear for his friend’s life, begging the blond to stop. On the other hand, Keiji remained unfazed, not looking away from the green eyes that bared into his.

“I’m a good shooter, I won’t miss your face next, so this is your last chance. What do the sentinels want with you?”

After a minute with Keiji completely silent, the blond chuckled and walked toward him, putting the gun right under his chin, aiming up.

“You know, maybe I am indeed approaching this in the wrong way.” he said into Keiji’s face before suddenly the foot on top of Yahaba disappeared and the brunette omega was roughly sat onto his knees with a man holding his shoulders. “Since you don’t fear for your life, then maybe you fear for your friend’s. He is of no use for me, after all.” he added and finally saw Keiji’s eyes widening, so he chuckled again and turned toward Yahaba.

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” Keiji growled, moving against the men holding him in place.

“So tell me what I want to know.” the blond said with a shrug.

“I told you I don’t know anything!” Keiji shouted.

“Hum…” the blond mumbled before suddenly aiming down and shooting toward Yahaba, making the omega cry in pain when the bullet grazed against the side of his thigh and landed onto the ground. The wound was not deep but it burned and bleed instantly.

“NO! Don’t do this! Please!” Keiji yelled in panic as tears also started to fill his eyes.

“Who are you?” the man yelled at him. “What do they want!?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” Keiji yelled back.

“Put a gun to his head.” the blond said and the man behind Yahaba let go from his shoulders and then pointed his gun to the back of Yahaba’s head.

“NO!” Keiji yelled desperately. “He has nothing to do with this! Please, I’ll do anything you want!”

“Then tell me what is your secret!” the man yelled back. “You have five seconds before your friend’s brain cells find themselves on the ground!”

Keiji sobbed hard, tears spilling from his eyes as panic started rising inside of him. His head was pounding in pain, as well as the rest of his body. He tried to focus, tried to find something, anything, that would appease the blond enough to let them live. However, he didn’t know the answer. He didn't know anything beside the fact that he did know it all. 

He both knew and didn’t. The knowledge was there somewhere, but it was not his own yet. He tried to reach for it, tried to unlock and pass whatever was blocking his way. He tried to find the answer, or at least discover why he could not do it. He even opened his mouth to tell the man why he didn’t know, just tell him that the knowledge was there and that he wouldn’t resist if the guy took him away to search his mind in exchange for letting Yahaba live. But even that was somehow denied to him, and as he opened his mouth to say it, no sound came out. No word was formed.

He looked toward Yahaba when he realized that he couldn’t speak the words he wanted, facing his friend’s terrified expression. Yahaba was seated on top of his legs, a hand sloppily pressing the grazing wound on his thigh. He was shaking and crying, Keiji could see it from where he was being held. His friend even tried to move away from the gun behind him, tried to get up just to be trusted back down harshly. Keiji heard the heavy breaths Yahaba was letting out, even when he apparently tried to control them.

“Four.” the blond said.

“No, please… please don’t do it…” Keiji cried, looking back toward their captor. His head was spinning, his sight was off and he could not focus his mind in a single thing right now. He even tried to wish for things like he did before, but since the car crash and the hits he got in the head, his mind was not responding the way he wanted.

“Three.” the other continued and Keiji sobbed again, head falling forward as he tried to clear it to say more but no word came out.

“Keiji.” Yahaba called softly and Keiji raised his head to face his friend. They were both crying but Yahaba now had a small smile on his face, which only grew when their eyes caught each other. He had managed to control his breathing and talked reassuringly with him. “It’s okay Keiji, it’s not your fault.”

“No… please, Shigeru…” Keiji cried.

“You’ll be fine. This is bigger than me, and it’s not your fault.” Yahaba said slowly, holding his friend’s gaze as more tears ran down. “I love you, brother.”

“Two.” 

“NO! Please don’t do it!” Keiji yelled, struggling against the hands holding him. “Take me! Let him go! PLEASE!”

“Oh, I will take you…” the blond said wickedly. “I will have my answers, either you tell me or not. But if his death is your breaking point, then my mental search can do the rest. Now, this is your last chance.”

“No… please I… I’ll tell you! I am… I am…” Keiji tried but nothing else came out.

“One.” the man said when Keiji just mumbled without talking, knowing that his subordinated was only waiting for the final order.

“NO!” Keiji yelled again and looked toward Yahaba with desperate eyes, his friend smiling at him.

“Look away Keiji.” Yahaba asked with a soft voice.

“No… please!” Keiji shouted. “Please!”

“Shoot him.” the blond said.

“SHIGERU!!!”

Keiji’s yelling was lost in the cacophony of sounds that followed the gunshot. The birds in the forest flew when everything echoed as if being carried for miles away.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How can he be so stupid!?

After everything he saw, everything he heard and felt. The attack that changed targets after Keiji freed Iwaizumi and Kenma from whatever mental prison they had fell into, the chanting that almost made them mad while guiding people after them, the light green eyes on the woods, the woman jumping at them, the burn, the…

Bokuto took a deep breath as he tried to shut down his thoughts. True, there were many sighs, but reminding himself of them all would not aid the situation at hand. He should have known that the telepath would come after Keiji, he should have known. He should have never let the omega out of his sight after the attack on the other camp, but still, he did.

And now Keiji was in danger.

He couldn’t bear it. The moment Kenma showed him the drawing with Keiji’s face, the deep blue eyes staring into his soul, he felt as if he had ice in his veins, his head spun out of control and the only thing his body could do was moving toward the last place he saw the omega. So he ran out of that damn barn, found a motorcycle, jumped on it and sped down the road. Not caring for the calls his friends shouted while seeing him running away from them.

Keiji was everything in his mind right now. Bokuto tried to hold onto that mental link, the small connection that the omega had created between them, the small little thing that turned his own life better than ever before. It was fine that it was still there, right? He could still feel it in the back of his mind, although a lot weaker than the day before, but if it was there, then that meant that Keiji was still alive, right?

As he sped down the road, making the vehicle run as fast as he could, not really caring about the risk of getting into an accident himself, Bokuto started realizing the small feelings that weren’t exactly his. Adrenaline had been running through his body since the attack on the farm began, but now he was questioning himself of how much of it was his own. He started thinking about that because he suddenly started to feel scared, a deep frightening feeling that was more than just concern for the omega that was not by his side. Then came sympathy, anger, realization, doubt, sadness and acceptance. And what intrigued him the most, a deep feeling of conquer and victory.

These feelings were not his. They surely were not, because everything Bokuto felt right now as his own was deep concern for the person he wanted as a mate. He tried to hold onto the hope that somehow Keiji was doing okay. What other reason for those last feelings? Somehow it felt as if the omega had suddenly accomplished something amazing, so he must be alright! Right?

And then suddenly he felt it, knowing deep down that nothing was alright anymore.

Bokuto will thank all heavens later for the fact that he was an amazing pilot, because suddenly his head felt like exploding in a deep blinding pain, his sight blacked for a second and he used the brakes to stop the motorcycle. The vehicle wobbled a bunch and turned to the side while its tires left deep dark marks on the asphalt, but Bokuto acted with his enhanced touch alone and managed to balance the bike, using his left leg to reach the ground and did a full circle with his leg on the center so that the speed could dissipate without him losing control of the bike.

When the motorcycle and its screeching tires stopped, Bokuto heard his own deep breaths echoing, then realized that someone else was speaking, or more like shouting at him. Just then he noticed that he had his own eyes closed during the entire ordeal.

“The heck you doing!” Kyoutani’s voice echoed from behind him and Bokuto remembered that the other alpha had jumped onto the passenger seat the moment he heard that the omegas were in danger. Now he was behind him, with a hand clutching onto his shoulder while the other held a rifle.

“Sorry I… I need a moment.” Bokuto said, blinking to focus his sight again. “Something happened to Keiji. I can’t feel him anymore.”

“What happened? Are they alright?” Kyoutani frowned, looking around as if the omegas would jump out of the woods anytime. “If something happened we have to go! We are still far from the parking spot! Do you want me to drive!?”

“No, I got it. Hold tight.” Bokuto said and started moving, gaining speed again. He knew they were a bit far. They had already passed the small truck that the squad had used to cover part of the distance earlier, but that only marked half the way between the small camp where the omegas were supposed to be and the farm they attacked.

Bokuto continued forward but now with his heart painfully hitting against his chest. He couldn’t feel Keiji anymore, not a single whisper of the previous feelings. This emptiness left way to his own thoughts and sensations, like the starting headache against his head, the too bright light onto his eyes, the sound of the air circling around them and entering their lungs, the deep and loud roar of the engine, also vibrating against his thighs.

His senses were starting to get all around, and that was not ideal at all. That was dangerous, and he knew he had to get it all under control or else he would not have a chance in rescuing Keiji from whatever was happening to him right now.

“We must be getting to the roadblock anytime now.” Bokuto said to Kyoutani. “Try see if you can contact them through the rad-” Bokuto stopped talking suddenly and used the brakes again, he wasn’t going as fast as before, so the vehicle only screeched and slid a little forward before stopping again.

“The hell! Why did you stop again?” Kyoutani barked from behind, hands on Bokuto’s shoulders and body a little up since he almost flew over the other in this new stop. “Hey! Answer me!”

Bokuto didn’t answer, in fact, Bokuto wasn’t listening. For a moment he was speeding down the road again, talking about contacting the sentinels in the roadblock with the radio in case they were still there, or even to see if they were being attacked altogether, when suddenly something screeched in the distance. An animal sound, a knowing sound.

The next moment a shadow moved in front of him and he saw the brown owl flying in circles, stopping midair and screeching at him. Then the bird flew to the side and entered the woods. Bokuto moved the bike forward until the spot where the bird disappeared, not noticing Kyoutani’s words until the other punched his shoulder from behind.

“What are you doing, you bastard!? We need to go!” he barked.

“Wait! Something’s not right!” Bokuto said and looked to the ground, now noticing a bunch of tire tracks onto the road, signalizing that someone lost control over a car and aimed to the side of the road. He looked toward the trees and noticed a few bent, branches broken and trees scratched. “They’re not there.” he whispered.

“What?” Kyoutani asked the moment the sound of the bird reached Bokuto again.

“They’re not there anymore!” Bokuto said and drove the bike toward the trees that were bent to the sides, passing it and seeing a few more in the same state. The ground inclined downwards and the alphas could now see a half destroyed car crashed against a big large tree.

Bokuto and Kyoutani abandoned the motorcycle and ran to the car. The vehicle was in a pretty bad condition, the top half sunk and the windows all destroyed. The driver’s door was half ripped while the other was opened. One of the back tires was missing and the front of the car was completely smashed.

Bokuto reached the driver’s seat and looked inside, just to see the place empty. He looked around but no one else was there, either on the vehicle or near it. They saw bloodstains all around, and both immediately recognized the omegas’ scent still there.

“They were here?” Kyoutani slowly asked Bokuto, even though he knew exactly whom that smell on the passenger’s seat belonged to. He also saw an abandoned rifle on the vehicle's floor, and for some reason, his heart ached at the sight.

Bokuto only nodded while watching around, eyes turning down to see the dirt ground a little messed up. A little trail was there, as if something had been dragged a few steps away from the car, then it disappeared as if, whatever that was, ended being picked up. Then a _cooing_ sound came from the woods and Bokuto looked up again.

“They were taken.” he said and started to walk toward the direction the sound came, retrieving his rifle from his back where he had put it before and signalized for Kyoutani to follow him. “They went this way, come on!”

The alphas entered the woods to find a small path, only large enough for people to walk through it. Sometimes it disappeared when the terrain changed or a tree or rocks got in the middle of it, but somehow they could always find it again, as if people walked around often.

They were running now, trying to cover as much ground as they could, trying to find the omegas before they got to wherever they were being taken. The terrain had ups and downs, the sounds of the forest circling them, just like its scents. All these elements combined did a number on the alphas’ enhanced senses, confusing them sometimes and even getting them in the wrong direction, just to make them turn back to look for the path again.

Bokuto couldn’t feel Keiji anymore, couldn’t sense that link that had bound them earlier, and that missing feeling of guidance was breaking his heart as he thought about losing the omega forever in these woods. Sometimes he still heard the noises from the owl calling for him, and he was acting on adrenaline and instincts alone to follow it, but the more he ran the more he felt his senses start to spin out of control. He needed to pull himself together, he needed to control his own body! Keiji was depending on him, and he will not let the omega down now. He promised that.

“Look!” Kyoutani got Bokuto’s attention when they found the path they had just lost a couple minutes before, the blond alpha was pointing toward a rock on the side of a small bush.

“Blood…” Bokuto whispered, crouching down to see drops of blood on top of the rock. The drops were circular and a little splashed, as if it had fallen from above. He looked a little to the side and saw the dirt ground a little odd, the same mess it would look if something had just been tossed there. There was blood there as well, but much more scattered and mixed with dirt. “They’re bleeding, and it’s still warm… they’re not far.”

“They went this way.” Kyoutani said while looking toward a big branch bent to the side, broken where a body passed to open the way, the leaves on it also dirt with blood from something that rubbed on it. “Let’s move.” he added and started to walk again.

Bokuto nodded and followed, somehow an urging feeling starting to get to him. He ran after Kyoutani until the other stopped again a few minutes later, looking around as if deciding where to go next. Bokuto reached him and noticed that the path had disappeared, and everything looked the same in every direction.

“Did we lose it again!?” Bokuto asked in a hurry.

“This damn place looks all the same!” Kyoutani growled. “I can’t follow his scent with all these trees around!”

“We need to focus on finding-” Bokuto started just to be cut by a splitting headache that suddenly hit him. He groaned and clutched onto his head with one hand and closed his eyes to try keep it down. Deep inside his mind he thought he could hear the owl calling for him, sounding extremely urgent, but the pain did not let him get the grip on it, so he couldn’t tell from where it was coming from.

“Hey, are you alright?” Kyoutani asked him and Bokuto felt the other was on edge as well.

“I’ll be fine just… just tell me where the bird is calling from!” Bokuto said, shaking his head and opening his eyes again to focus back on their mission.

“Bird? What the hell are you-” Kyoutani also stopped his line and suddenly looked toward somewhere among the trees. Bokuto saw the other focus on something, frowning a little confused before continuing. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Bokuto asked. “Can you hear the owl?”

“Owl?” Kyoutani frowned toward him. “No. Looks more like-” then he stopped and looked back at the trees, eyes flaring for a moment before he darted forward, running like never before.

“Hey!” Bokuto called but also ran, getting speed while following Kyoutani’s form.

Everything indeed looked the same around them, but Bokuto trusted that Kyoutani was going in the right direction. He didn’t know why, but he believed in it. Then the trees started to look more apart from each other, as if opening the way for some exit, and Bokuto could see farther from their next steps.

Then he heard it, loud and clear but still a bit far, the sound of a gunshot. His eyes widened and he ran faster, noticing Kyoutani doing the same. The sound had echoed around and he couldn’t point the exact direction, but the other alpha was still going in front of him, so he trusted him.

A couple minutes later he heard a second gunshot and his heart jumped to his throat. This time the sound was much closer and the trees were apart enough to let them run side by side. Bokuto sped up and paralleled with Kyoutani, not needing to follow him anymore since he could also tell now where the sound had come from. Instincts told Bokuto to hold his rifle with both hands as he ran, as if he would need to shoot anytime now.

Then everything suddenly got in slow motion while also happening too fast. From afar Bokuto saw the edge of a small clearing, heard people’s voices coming from it, then his next step carried him a little to the side, and past a few more trees ahead he could see an omega kneeled to the ground with a man standing behind, a gun aimed to the back of the omega’s head. The next sound he heard came clear in Keiji’s voice. He couldn’t see him yet, but he heard all the same.

_‘NO! Please!’_ Keiji’s voice yelled and Bokuto eased his speed, holding his rifle in position to shoot. He noticed through his peripheral sight how Kyoutani ran faster than anything he ever saw, the blond even let go of his gun in order to run faster, aiming for the clearing and straight toward the man behind Yahaba.

In a matter of seconds, an old thought came to Bokuto’s mind and he realized that in the position the omega was, taking down the shooter could just trigger the gun and the bullet would still hit the other’s head. So the next thing he did was shoot toward the clearing the exact time a new voice called _‘Shoot him’_.

Bokuto watched with a spark in the eyes and a side smile as the bullet he shot flew from the trees and through the open space between both bodies, just to hit the arm that held the gun toward Yahaba, the impact pushing the member away to the side and out of aim. The guy still managed to pull the trigger, but the bullet landed onto the ground, away from the omega’s head. The man standing didn’t even have the time to feel the pain in his arm, because the next second he was being tackled down by Kyoutani’s body and away from Yahaba.

As soon as the bullet left his rifle Bokuto ran to the clearing, seeing things moving back to normal speed as the cacophony of sound echoed around. He heard Keiji screaming for his friend, heard Yahaba’s cries as the omega fell to the side and covered his head instinctively, hands flying to its back as if searching for a hole he was sure it would be there. The others in the clearing were also yelling, with Kyoutani’s feral growls on top of it.

Bokuto left a growl of his own when he entered the clearing and saw two men holding Keiji against a tree, seeing red when he noticed all the blood and bruises on the omega’s face. He shot the one on the left, hitting him on the head before turning to the other one and hitting him three times in the chest. Keiji fell to the ground hard when the men’s hands left him, crying in pain as he hit the hard ground. Bokuto clenched his teeth as he heard the omega, but they were not safe yet, so he crouched down beside Yahaba and circled an arm around his waist, howling him up and running toward Keiji. He left Yahaba behind a tree while trying to ignore his mumbling of _‘I’m still alive’_ , and then went to pull Keiji to the same place, crouching in front of them both to shield their sides as he started to shoot toward the ones still in the clearing.

“Mad Dog!” Bokuto yelled for the alpha who was still making a blood bath with the one he tackled down. Kyoutani raised his head with a snarl toward him, but Bokuto saw the other’s eyes turning back to normal when he noticed the omegas behind him.

Kyoutani left the man’s body on the ground and ran to them while Bokuto shot the trees behind the blond where he saw the last two attackers in black clothes went to hide when he entered the clearing. The only one Bokuto lost in that mess was the blond telepath he saw standing a couple steps away from Keiji, and he was exactly the one that shouldn’t be missing right now.

“I lost my rifle!” Kyoutani said when he got to them, crouching beside Bokuto while he shot toward the other side of the clearing.

“You actually tossed it away!” Bokuto said without looking at him. “Get my handgun in my back holster. And maybe search this guy for one too.” he added with a head motion toward the guy laid on the ground a few steps from them, the one he had shot first the moment he saw the guy holding Keiji.

“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…” Bokuto heard Keiji mumbling as he sobbed while in a fierce hug with Yahaba.

“It’s okay… I’m fine, we’re fine, it’s okay!” Yahaba answered, also crying and actually repeating this line a couple times already.

“Hey! Hey, look at me!” Bokuto said as he also hid behind the tree to cover from the bullets that were flying toward them from the other side. He tried to get the omegas attention so that he could make sure they were not having a panic attack right in the middle of a shooting. “You guys are fine! Everything is going to be alright, do you understand me?”

Bokuto waited for a moment so his voice could reach the omegas. Yahaba looked toward him first and he showed a small smile for comfort, then noticing the omega’s brown eyes focusing and looking around as if realizing his surroundings again.

“Yeah… yeah, ok. We’re fine.” Yahaba mumbled before slightly pushing Keiji from his shoulder so he could look at his face. “Hey Kej, we’re fine, look at me.”

“We’re fine.” Keiji whispered slowly as he nodded with his eyes closed, one hand still clutching onto the front of Yahaba’s shirt. He then looked up at his friend before speaking more clearly. “We are fine.”

“Indeed.” Yahaba smiled before looking toward Bokuto again. “Thank you for the rescue, big guy.”

“Don’t thank me, I should have got here sooner.” Bokuto said, clenching his teeth when he got a closer look of Keiji’s injured face. “And I didn’t do it alone.” he added as Kyoutani came back to their side after searching the dead guy from before.

“He only had one gun, no extra ammo though.” Kyoutani said toward Bokuto before turning to look at the omegas, locking eyes with Yahaba. “Were you hit?” he asked.

“No I… I’m fine.” Yahaba said before averting the alpha’s eyes. “Thank… hum… Thank you for the assistance.”

Bokuto snickered as he saw Kyoutani’s eyes widening before the alpha looked away, a hand scratching the back of his neck that Bokuto could swear was turning pink. But the small moment was lost when a much heavier shot landed in one of the trees near them and shards of wood flew around. Then a powerful and pissed off voice echoed.

“Do you really think you can run from me!?” the guy shouted and a couple more bullets came. “I’m going to kill you all!”

“That’s him… the telepath. The one behind all the attacks.” Keiji mumbled.

“Yeah, and the bastard I would really enjoy punching right now.” Yahaba added and hid beside Keiji on the ground when the next wave of bullets landed much closer to their heads.

“I think he found your rifle.” Bokuto said to what Kyoutani just growled.

“Where are the rest of the squad? Didn’t you bring backup?” Yahaba asked the alphas.

“Well…” Bokuto mumbled, now he was the one scratching the back of his neck. “We kind of ran off when I noticed this guy might be after you. The others may also be coming, though.”

“You noticed?” Yahaba asked.

“Kinda?” Bokuto said. “It was more like Kenma connecting the dots, but when he showed me the drawing I knew I didn’t have time to lose, so we came.”

“Whatever the reason, thank you for coming, Bokuto-san. You too, Kyoutani-san, thank you for saving us.” Keiji said and Kyoutani only groaned something while looking away. “Though I’m afraid now you became targets as well.”

“Don’t sweat it Keiji, we’re soldiers, that’s what we do.” Bokuto said after responding fire again, trying to hit the others that were pretty much well protected behind the trees. “Although we may need a better plan than just shooting around this clearing.”

“Keep the attention here, I’ll try getting them from behind.” Kyoutani told him, pointing a thumb over his shoulder to the forest behind them. “I’ll circle the clearing through the woods and get to their side.”

“Alright, that may work.” Bokuto nodded and shot more. “Careful though, and go fast!”

Kyoutani nodded in agreement and started to move to the back, trying to cover his movements with the trees around them. However, right when he went to cross a little space to their left, a bullet hit the next tree right in front of his face and he knew that it would have been his head there if he had got one single step forward. The sudden shot made him jump backwards, landing on the ground and rushing back to the previous tree for shelter.

“Hey, you okay!?” Bokuto asked.

“Fine.” Kyoutani growled. “Freaking bastard!”

“Do you really think you can fool me? ME!?” the man yelled at them from somewhere. “There’s nowhere to run, surrender and tell me what you know!”

“The hell he’s talking about?” Kyoutani asked.

“Me. He’s talking to me.” Keiji said. “No plan of yours will work here, his mind reaches far enough, anything you plan he already knows.”

A wicked loud laugher echoed around. “You got that right! There is no escape! Come to me and I’ll let your friends walk away!” the man said, voice loud above the shooting.

Bokuto hid back behind the tree so he could look at Keiji. “Don’t you dare think about that.” he told the omega.

“Keiji, you know he’s lying, right?” Yahaba asked and Keiji just closed his eyes and nodded.

“No one is walking out these woods if I go with him. He’ll kill you all.” Keiji said, eyes still closed and a hand rubbing his forehead. “Dammit, my head is about to explode.”

“We need to get you out of here, you hit your head too many times.” Yahaba said, a hand massaging the back of Keiji’s head.

Bokuto growled at the knowledge, wanting to punch anyone that had hurt Keiji today. “We need to act.”

“How? He’ll just know and shoot us.” Kyoutani said by his side.

“So we just act without thinking, he can’t know what even we don’t!” Bokuto smirked at the blond alpha. “We’re the best ones for it, are we not?”

“God, I’m not even going to ask.” Keiji chuckled, now his two hands holding both sides of his face as he faced the ground with closed eyes.

Yahaba snorted. “Buddy, you’re so not fine.” he pulled Keiji’s head slowly to lay it against his shoulder, massaging the other’s temple and looking back at Bokuto. “Go get them now. We need to go for a doctor.”

Bokuto nodded seriously as he took one last concerned look at the raven omega. Then he looked toward Kyoutani and they both shared a quiet understanding.

“Let’s end this shit now.” Kyoutani growled.

Bokuto nodded again and looked at Yahaba. “Stay here and cover your heads.”

“Alright. Remember, don’t think.” the brunette said.

“Do you really think this is going to work!?” the guy shouted and more bullets hit their spot. “You got nothing to hold against me! All I need is wait! Do you really think that these men are all I have!? My army is bigger than you think, others are already coming!”

“Dude, do you think you’re a Disney villain or something!? Chill out!” Bokuto shouted back, this guy was really getting into his nerves.

“He’s not so much in control anymore.” Keiji mumbled. “His mind is also on edge, he's tired after all the attacks, he can’t fight much longer.”

“Can you feel it with yours?” Yahaba asked and Keiji shook his head a little.

“I can feel too much, but I can’t control the thoughts. Everything feels so messed up now…” he trailed off and Bokuto’s heart sank.

“Hey!” Bokuto looked at Yahaba. “Don’t let him sleep. If he hit his head this hard then we need to keep him awake until we get to the doctor.” the omega nodded and Bokuto looked toward Kyoutani. “Let’s go.”

The alphas moved toward opposite sides, still hiding behind the trees and trying to circle the clearing. Bokuto kept mumbling inside his own head to _‘don’t think, don’t think, don’t think’_! How hard could it be, really? He just needed to let instinct take over and-

He was cut when bullets landed inches from his head, right when he was about to take another step to the side. He cursed himself when he realized he had just thought about going that way. This was bad, too bad, it looked like even instinct required thinking! And based on the rushes and grumbles he could hear from the other side, Kyoutani wasn’t having a good time either. Bokuto could feel himself getting in one of his moods anytime now, things were too concerning, he didn’t know how to act, he had a headache of his own and he couldn’t even think about moving without a bullet landing on the exact place he wanted to go.

_Hell, what can I do… what can I do!? I need to get Keiji out of here, I need to save him, take him to a doctor, get him food, buy him a present and watch a movie! I’m getting hungry too… dammit! Now I want ice cream. Will Kuroo hide my ice cream buckets again now that winter is almost-_

“For hell's sake! SHUT UP!” Bokuto heard the blond omega yelling. That got him confused. He couldn’t hear anyone talking now, just the sound of bullets flying and-

_Oh… are you talking to me? Did you hear that right now?_

His thought was cut when he heard a growl and more bullets hit the tree Bokuto was hiding behind. The white haired alpha blinked in realization before smirking to himself. Keiji said that the guy was also on edge, his mind already tired after all the things he’s been pulling for two days now. So… what if the answer is not stop thinking, and actually do the opposite?

More bullets around him were the answer he was seeking for.

_Bingo!_

“Hey, Mad-Dog!” Bokuto shouted, trusting that Kyoutani’s enhanced hearing would get his call. “Do you remember that time Kuroo and Oikawa stuck the weapons’ truck into the mud pond because they were trying to steal each other’s fries, even after Daichi forbade us from eating in the cabin while driving? It took us fourteen hours to get that thing out, most of it in the dark!” he smirked before continuing. “Why don’t you think about everything you wanted to do to them after that?”

Another low growl and more bullets were enough to tell him that Kyoutani had caught the idea. The shots landing near him were a bit more scattered than before, so that could be because the omega blonde couldn’t exactly predict all his movements anymore.

_“So, there was this time that I wanted to see a new movie right? It was a pretty good sequence of an old war movie that I’m a huge fan of, so I dragged Kuroo and Oikawa to the movies with me!”_ Bokuto started to talk inside his head while running to the side, avoiding bullets with ease and getting to a spot where he could aim his attackers better as he continued babbling in his mind. _“But when we got there the place had this huge line! Like you won’t believe dude! It looked like every single sentinel in sector A wanted to see the movie that day! Sure, it was the premier, but even so! And Oikawa started whining that it would take too long and started to say we should watch the alien movie that was on its third week there. THIRD! And we had already watched it two times!”_

“SHUT UP!” Bokuto heard the voice shouting, then he saw a smoke grenade flying to the center of the clearing, smiling when he noticed it was identical to the one he had used earlier at the farm. He used the cover from the smoke to run more toward the other side where he knew the men were hiding, seeing Kyoutani doing the same as his shadow passed near him.

 _“So Oikawa started a tantrum when Kuroo suggested watching the war movie while eating the Alien popcorn combo because: ‘No Kuroo-chan! This would be cheating on the aliens!’”_ Bokuto mimicked Oikawa’s voice in his head, getting to the trees where a man was hiding behind and surprising him when leaving the smoke right on top of him. Bokuto kicked the guy in the chest to get him off balance, throwing him on the ground and kicking the other’s gun away. The man snarled toward him and went to stand up and fight but Bokuto saw it coming and swirled his rifle to hit the guy’s head and knock him out. _“Then Iwaizumi ended up getting to the movies and dragged Oikawa to the alien’s session while Kuroo and I waited in line for an hour and a half to buy the tickets for the war movie. And the four of us went to see it later in the night. I ended up sleeping through it though, but hey! It was the midnight session! What did you expect!?”_

Bokuto finished his story in his head, just in case, before looking back to where Kyoutani had also surprised the last of the attackers. The blond alpha had also managed to knock the guy out, so they were safe for now.

“Hey, you alright?” Bokuto asked Kyoutani.

“Yeah, this one was weaker than I thought.” he answered.

“Probably because they were missing the mental link advantage.” Bokuto whispered, looking around the place. “Where’s the telepath?” he asked.

Kyoutani just shrugged his shoulders, also looking around and searching for the missing blond. Bokuto motioned a sign with his hand to show Kyoutani that he would circle the clearing again to see if the guy was hiding somewhere, the other nodding and moving to do the same on the opposite side. 

Everything was quiet now, not one single bullet flying anymore. Bokuto knew that the telepath must still be somewhere around, since he was here before and the alpha hadn’t heard the sound of people running away into the woods. So the blond omega was either hiding in silence, or had really good light steps to cover his movements from their enhanced hearing.

Either way, Bokuto didn’t like not knowing where the guy was. He was sure he would be with the two rebels they just knocked out, but clearly that didn’t happen. So he just started to mumble another idiot story inside his head and moved back to where he came from, wanting to go back near the omegas they left behind earlier. 

That was the right decision, because he was already closer to the omegas when a sudden enraged yell came from behind the place Yahaba and Keiji were lying down behind a tree. Bokuto ran to them in time to see the blond omega surging from behind a big bush, running toward them both with blood in his eyes. Yahaba was taken by surprise when the blond swung the rifle he was holding to hit his face, sending him to the ground and away from Keiji, who could just blink before a pair of hands squeezed his throat and pinned him down onto the ground.

“I WILL KILL YOU!” the blond screamed at Keiji’s face. “I will kill you all for this, I won’t be defeated today!” He then took one hand out of Keiji’s throat and raised it in a fist to punch him in the face.

The hit didn’t connect onto the raven omega though. Bokuto ran the moment he saw the blond one going for Yahaba and got there in time to tackle the guy away from Keiji, sending them both to the ground a little far from the raven that started to cough for air. Yahaba had recollected himself and went to help Keiji up so they could get away from there.

“Let go of me!” the blond omega yelled when Bokuto went for his arms and pinned him under himself.

“It’s over! Stand down!” Bokuto yelled back at the omega. He wanted to punch him so bad because of what he did to Keiji and Yahaba, but he knew he needed to be cautious with his actions here. 

Not a second later Kyoutani was getting to his side, running there when he heard all the ruckus unfold. The blond alpha pointed the gun in his hand to the guy and growled at him to stay put or he would shoot.

“Don’t aim for the head, Daichi said we needed to get him alive.” Bokuto told Kyoutani. “Give me your handcuffs!” he asked the other alpha.

“HA! Alive!?” the blond omega screamed maniacally from the ground. “I’m not going back there! No one’s taking me back! Let go of me!” he squirmed more and Bokuto noticed the deep exhaustion in his eyes, also the blood that was running down from his nose.

“Calm yourself down or I’ll knock you out!” Bokuto told him. In fact he knew he should do it. He knew that this guy was too dangerous to be awake around them, but he was afraid that another hit on the head could do more damage than good right now considering the state the other was in. He didn’t seem to be in condition to pull any new stunts right now, and as the omega moved around, Bokuto noticed that blood was also running from his ears. “Hey dude, you’re not fine, give it up already or you’ll end up hurting yourself!” Bokuto added, holding the omega’s hands together and about to cuff them.

“I said… LET ME GO!” the blond omega screamed blood murder and suddenly Bokuto and Kyoutani were being tossed into the air by an invisible force. They landed on their backs a few meters away and inside the clearing, right in front of the spot Yahaba had dragged Keiji to be away from the telepath.

For a moment everything was spinning in Bokuto’s vision, but the real panic started to rise when he tried to sit up but his body did not answer his commands. The same force that tossed him away was now trapping him to the ground, he couldn’t move his arms and legs, only managing to slightly look to his side to notice that Kyoutani was in the same condition, also capturing Keiji and Yahaba’s terrified expressions while standing a couple steps from them.

“Haha… you thought you could take me!?” the omega’s voice came to Bokuto’s ears and he tried to gaze toward him from the ground, seeing the guy rising up slowly and facing them. “I will kill you all!”

Bokuto saw as Yahaba reacted and jumped toward the gun that Kyoutani was holding before the force threw them to the ground. The alpha hadn’t dropped the weapon, but it now laid over his palm as the force kept his body trapped without moving. Yahaba got the gun and was about to aim for the telepath as the other raised a hand up and closed it in front of his face.

“I don’t think so.” the blond omega said and the moment his fist was closed in the air, Yahaba dropped the gun and held onto his own throat in despair. “I should have closed your airways ages ago.” he added.

“NO!” Keiji yelled and Bokuto watched in horror as Yahaba struggled to breathe. Kyoutani growled from the ground and the blond omega only smirked before saying, “As a matter of fact, maybe all of you should just stop breathing.”

The force that was holding Bokuto suddenly moved to his throat, closing it hard and denying his lungs the air they so much needed. He moved his hands to his throat as he tried to breathe, his legs kicking the air as if trying to move away an invisible offender on top of him. Kyoutani was facing the same condition, only Keiji seemed to be breathing normally right now.

“Stop! You’re killing them!” Keiji yelled.

“And Why can’t I kill you too!?” the other yelled back.

Keiji, who had crouched between Yahaba to try helping him, hurriedly took the gun his friend had dropped and aimed it toward the man standing, shooting it at the same time the blond raised his other hand in a new movement that sent Keiji flying away. The bullet got a little out of trail, but still hit the other's shoulder.

The blond omega screamed in pain but his fist stood closed, the man still standing. The bullet seemed to graze his shoulder, so it did not stop him from doing whatever he was doing to them. Keiji lost the gun when he was tossed away, and Bokuto used all the strength he had left to slowly look toward the raven that was sitting back up a little farther from them. Blue met gold when their eyes connected and Bokuto wanted nothing more than to be able to smile to sooth the concern he could see all over Keiji’s face.

However, smiling was impossible. Bokuto felt something invading his mind to try shutting down his body. He could not breathe, he could not hear Yahaba and Kyoutani anymore, not even the sounds and smells from the forest came to him now. However, there was one last thing he heard and one last thing he saw before his sight started to black out, and that image would stay in his memory forever.

“Stop!” Keiji snarled toward the blond omega. His face was filled with rage and he closed his hands into fists on his sides. The raven stood up and faced the enemy with a deep, bright silver gleam inside his blue eyes, and in Bokuto’s eyes, it looked as if the moon itself was rising from the depths of the dark blue ocean. “I said… STOP!”

Keiji’s order came stronger than any command Bokuto had heard before. Never in the military Bokuto heard an order like this, and it would chill him to the bones every time he remembers it. Suddenly a strong wind ran over them, coming from the trees behind Keiji and reaching the other side of the clearing where the telepath stood. Then the force that was choking Bokuto disappeared altogether, his vision cleared and the air came back to his lungs, a fresh feeling hitting him, like everything was suddenly okay, like an early spring morning with birds singing around. He coughed a couple times and looked around, noticing that Kyoutani was just doing the same and Yahaba was laid face down and breathing hard to regain control. He went for the omega and helped him sit up.

“Hey now, take it easy.” Bokuto said. “Slow and deep breaths, come on.” he rubbed the omega’s back.

“I’m alright… I’m fine…” Yahaba said between breaths. “Keiji?” he asked, looking behind toward the raven.

Bokuto did the same and noticed that Keiji was still standing, body completely frozen and facing the blond omega on the other side. His eyes still had the silver spark in them and Bokuto could only follow to also look toward the man Keiji was staring at. The telepath was still standing, blood flowing freely from his nose and ears, soaking his dark clothes and creating deep dark wet spots. But the blonde’s face was nothing like before. The blinding rage and the maniac smile that he had before were completely gone, leaving space for a confused expression that turned blanker by the seconds.

No one moved and a couple of minutes later the blond omega suddenly fell onto his knees, eyes red and now with a trail of blood also running down from it. His eyes never left Keiji, not even when all the color was drained from them and the man’s body connected with the ground in a loud thump. Bokuto stared a while longer as he tried to understand what had just happened, hearing his own breathing along with Kyoutani and Yahaba’s, then a sound came from behind and they all turned to see.

Keiji had also just landed onto his knees, much like the same way the blond did before. His eyes were back to the deep blue color, but his sight unfocused and staring into nothing. A thin blood trail also came down from his ears.

“Keiji!” Yahaba mumbled and moved to stand, dizzily running to the other and basically collapsing in front of him onto his own knees. “Hey, hey come on, look at me!” he held Keiji’s head onto both of his hands and turned the raven to look at him, fingers traveling along the dark curls to massage his scalp. “Are you alright?” he asked when Keiji’s eyes found him.

“Shigeru?” Keiji mumbled, eyes focusing slowly. Bokuto moved to Yahaba’s side, watching the raven omega with concern.

“Yes, yes it's me. Can you see me?” Yahaba asked. Keiji just nodded before looking past them again.

“Did I kill him?” Keiji asked, voice not louder than a whisper. Bokuto looked toward the blond omega on the ground far from them, noticing that Kyoutani had approached his body to determine if the other was still breathing. After touching the body with his boot and noticing no movement, the blond alpha crouched down to look for a pulse while the others waited in silence, even Yahaba was looking in their direction now.

“Not breathing. No pulse.” Kyoutani said before standing up.

Bokuto sighed and shook his head, not even realizing when he put one hand on Keiji’s back to start running it in a soothing way.

“It’s fine, it was self-defense.” Yahaba said and looked back at Keiji, hands still on the both sides of his friend’s head and fingers among the raven hair. “You had no choice, he was killing us.”

“But I didn't kill him.” Keiji said, voice a bit stronger and eyes more focused. Bokuto and Yahaba frowned at him but he just shook his head a little as if making a point. “I didn’t. His head was full, his mind already wavering. I did get inside at that moment, and maybe that was the final straw but… but I didn’t kill him. I didn’t tell his brain to shut down, it just did.” he finished and looked down, his hands going up to hold onto Yahaba’s arms as if looking for something to ground himself.

Yahaba sighed and said that it was fine, that it was not his fault. He pulled Keiji into a hug and Bokuto smiled as he saw how they both reassured each other. However, the moment was cut when they heard a shot near them, the noise making them jump and Bokuto got to his feet instantly. Kyoutani was standing up beside the omega's body, the retrieved gun in hand after he just shot the man’s head.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bokuto asked, beside him the two omegas were looking toward the blond alpha with wide eyes.

“Making our cover story more believable.” Kyoutani answered, walking away toward one of the men Bokuto shot earlier, the one that was holding Keiji up against the tree the first time the sentinels got to the clearing.

“What do you mean?” Bokuto frowned confused, watching as Kyoutani put the gun he just used on top of the man’s open hand, as if it was already there when it was fired. He also noticed the blond alpha looking back at the fallen omega as if making sure he had the right angle or something.

Kyoutani stood up straight again and faced Bokuto. “You heard what he said when we tried to cuff him.” he pointed to the telepath on the ground. “He said he wasn’t going back there, said we wouldn’t take him alive. Whatever it was that command had planned for him, he already knew it. He probably faced it before.”

“He did.” Keiji agreed and Bokuto looked back at him, but no further information was shared.

“How do you think command will react when they get a report saying the telepath they wanted to capture is dead because your mate entered his mind to save us?” Kyoutani said seriously toward Bokuto and then everything got clearer. If anyone hears that Keiji could take down this guy, then he will be the next target for whatever command wanted with the blond omega.

“We can’t let them know.” Bokuto said and faced the omegas that were staring at him from the ground. “They won’t know it.” he added with more certainty.

“And how does a bullet on a dead man’s head fix anything?” Yahaba asked.

“It may change the cause of death if we cover the story well enough.” Kyoutani said and took a couple steps toward them before looking at Keiji. “You said his mind was already bad and that you entering it may have pushed it further down, right?”

“Yes, I believe it was that.” Keiji nodded slowly.

“So I made a new trigger. Instead of you entering his head, the bullet will take the blame for speeding up what was already in motion.” Kyoutani said. “I used that guy’s gun so the shot can’t be traced back to our own weapons.” he finished while motioning to Bokuto and himself.

“But why would his own companion shoot him?” Yahaba asked with a frown.

“Because he said he wasn’t going back alive.” Bokuto said this time, catching up with Kyoutani’s plan. “We got the distress call from the sentinel camp, came back first to help, caught sight of them running through the woods and ended up cornering them here.” Bokuto smiled brightly. “Dude was already bleeding from nose and ears, and when he saw that we would get him, he used his last strength to enter his friend’s head and gave the order to shoot himself so he wouldn’t go back.”

Kyoutani nodded. “They both were never here.” he said while motioning toward Keiji and Yahaba.

“And will that work?” Yahaba asked, caressing Keiji’s head as the raven laid it onto his shoulder with a sigh.

“Let’s hope it does.” Bokuto said with a shrug. “At least it gives us time to think about something else.”

Kyoutani nodded and walked toward the direction they came from before. “I’ll walk back to the car and mess up the trail we followed before so it doesn’t-” he cut his speech as a sudden noise came from the woods.

Bokuto heard it too and sprinted to get his rifle from the ground, turning to the direction he heard the noise coming from. Kyoutani pulled a knife from his belt and growled, knowing that someone else was approaching. They held their defensive stance until a voice echoed from the trees.

“Yahoo~~...” the voice sang. “Bo-chan! Kyou-Ken-chan! It’s us! Are you alive?”

Bokuto sighed in relief and Kyoutani snarled at the nickname. Not a minute later Oikawa and Iwaizumi were entering the clearing.

“Now that’s too rude!” Oikawa said as he saw Bokuto and Kyoutani with weapons ready in their hands. “Were you going to attack your own rescue party?” he finished with a hand onto his hip and a foot taping the ground.

“Well, what did you expect!?” Bokuto said back, lowering his rifle. “We thought you guys were their backup for a moment there!”

Oikawa waved a hand in the air as a dismissal. “Nah! Iwa-chan followed the telepath’s outburst from the road, but when we got closer he said that you guys were the only people he could feel over here.”

Bokuto _hummed_ in understanding and saw as Iwaizumi made a straight line toward the omegas sitting together and kneeled in front of them, pulling them both into an unexpected hug.

“Thank God you’re both alright.” Iwaizumi said as he hugged them. “I’m sorry it took so long for us to realize he was after you.”

Yahaba widened his eyes when he heard that, looking at Iwaizumi as the alpha released them. “You also knew he was after Keiji?” he asked surprised.

Iwaizumi nodded. “We got to that conclusion while looking around the farm we went to get the telepath. Well, Kenma pieced it together actually, but we came running after the two morons as fast as we could.” he pointed a thumb toward Bokuto who just whined.

“Thank you for your help, Iwaizumi-san.” Keiji said, trying to make a smile with his busted up face.

“Don’t thank me, I didn’t help you.” Iwaizumi said as he touched Keiji’s face with both hands, moving it slowly from one side to the other to look at his injuries. “Dammit, I wish I had got here sooner. Did the guy do this to you?”

“Yes he did,” Keiji nodded slowly, a little taken aback for the alpha’s concern and care. “But I am fin-”

“No he’s not, he got his head hit too many times.” Yahaba cut him and Keiji tried to frown toward his friend before Iwaizumi got a hold of his head and peeled his eyes open.

“Your pupils are a little off, you may have got a concussion.” Iwaizumi said. “I can’t say for sure, but you also bled through your ears. We have to get you back with Asahi.” he finished and stood up to his feet, leaving Keiji to freely glare at his omega friend.

“Where are the others?” Bokuto asked.

“We had to split up.” Oikawa said. “We got to the roadblock and saw the mess it was, but then all empaths felt the telepath’s outburst and we came to see if we could get him. We didn’t know if you guys were here or still at camp, so Daichi and Kuroo went there with Suga-chan and Kenma, while Hajime and I followed it here.”

“What happened on the roadblock?” Kyoutani asked.

“They were killed.” Yahaba was the one to answer and all alphas looked at him.

“You guys saw that?” Oikawa asked and the omega nodded.

“Passed by them on our way out.” Yahaba said simply, ignoring the confused stares. Keiji felt the weight of everything and looked down, just for his chin to be met with a tender gloved hand.

“Hey, don’t do this to yourself, it’s not your fault.” Iwaizumi told him and made a small pressure so that Keiji would look up. “And don’t get your head down, it can make your condition worse.” he added with a smile as Keiji raised his head.

“We should go back to camp, maybe they need our help there.” Bokuto said.

“Yeah… but we kind of need to get a hold on the mess here too…” Oikawa said while walking around the clearing and looking at the people on the ground, stopping near the first one Kyoutani had attacked. “Dang Mad-dog, I bet this one was you.”

Kyoutani groaned something looking not even a bit sorry. Iwaizumi took a look too and shook his head, walking to the side and stopping near the blond omega.

“Is this the guy?” he asked before adding. “Command is gonna kill us.”

“It wasn’t us.” Bokuto said and Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at him. “At least on the report, but we’ll talk about that better.” the white haired added.

“Well, whatever. But if this is our target, then we have to secure and catalog the area.” Iwaizumi sighed before motioning to Bokuto and Kyoutani. “You two get Keiji and Yahaba back to camp, they need medical attention. Oikawa and I will secure the place. Tell Daichi to send the equipment we need to record the scene.”

Bokuto nodded and Oikawa put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention before pointing to the direction he and Iwaizumi had come from. “Walk straight in that direction and you’ll find the road in about 10 minutes or so. There is no trail but the terrain is not so bad. You’ll get right into the roadblock, there’s a car parked there, use it to get to the camp faster.”

“Alright, thanks dude.” Bokuto said before turning to the omegas again. “You guys ready to go?”

“Thought you would never ask.” Yahaba said and stood up, but the moment he put weight in his left leg, he hissed in pain and stumbled a little. Bokuto grabbed his upper arm so he would not fall.

“Hey! Were you hit!?” Kyoutani more barked then asked.

“He was.” Keiji said, still on the ground.

“Shut up, I wasn’t hit, it just grazed me.” Yahaba said and stood properly, taking his arm away from Bokuto’s hand. “This just stings a little, I was surprised because I wasn’t feeling it until now, that’s all.”

“It was probably the adrenaline keeping the pain at bay, you’ll be feeling it from now on though. Can you walk?” Iwaizumi asked, getting close to them again.

“Of course I can.” Yahaba said frustrated, then he pointed at his friend, “Keiji’s the one that will need help.”

Keiji frowned and stood up to his feet. “I am not.” then his body wobbled and he would have fallen back down if it were not for Iwaizumi being behind him in time to hold him up by his armpits.

“Wanna say that again?” Oikawa smirked.

“And that’s another indication of a concussion. Easy up, let us help you.” Iwaizumi said, still holding the raven’s weight as the omega looked around dizzily.

Bokuto moved toward Keiji with concern, getting in front of him and looking into his face, waiting for the omega to focus his sight toward him.

“How’re you feeling Keiji?” Bokuto asked.

“I’m… I’m just a little dizzy Bokuto-san.” the omega answered a little dejected.

Bokuto nodded before continuing. “Will you let me carry you to the car? We’ll move faster this way.”

If Keiji’s face were not all red from his bruises, Bokuto would swear it just blushed up with a cute pink color. “I don’t want to be a bother, Bokuto-san.” he said.

“None at all!” Bokuto smiled and turned around, crouching down a little. “Hop up! I’ll give you a ride.”

Keiji mumbled something else and Yahaba snorted as Iwaizumi slowly pushed the raven forward and delivered him into Bokuto’s back. The omega’s legs were by both sides of the alpha’s torso and Bokuto held each end of his rifle in one hand, resting Keiji’s weight on top of it as if it was a seat. He then stood up straight and Keiji held onto his shoulder to steady himself.

“How does it feel?” Bokuto asked with a smile as he felt Keiji's body perfectly nesting against his back. He looked over his shoulder and blushed a little when he saw the omega’s face close to his own.

“I’m… fine.” Keiji answered slowly. “Thank you, Bokuto-san.” and at that Bokuto’s smile just grew larger.

“Alright, take it easy now.” Iwaizumi said and they both looked toward him. “Bokuto, make sure you walk steady so his head won’t move around too much. And you, no naps before the doctor clears it. Keep yourself awake for now.” he finished while pointing a finger toward Keiji.

“Asahi-san had his own problems and wounds to deal with when I last saw him.” Keiji frowned but spoke again when he saw concern in the other’s face. “He was alive though, Rin-san said he would be fine. We left so we wouldn’t cause more trouble to him and the others.”

Iwaizumi sighed. “Either way, Daichi and the others are probably there already, and Suga will know what to do.”

“Alright! Let’s move!” Bokuto said and started to walk in the direction Oikawa had pointed him. Kyoutani waited for Yahaba to do the same and hovered by his side when the omega hissed as taking a step with his left leg. The blond alpha offered an arm up and the omega frowned at him.

“So we can go faster.” Kyoutani said, averting the other’s eyes and grumbling something else. “So we can get your friend help.”

Yahaba sighed defeated and put his hand on top of the alpha’s forearm, using it to support the weight on his left side while they re-entered the woods. Bokuto was walking ahead with Keiji on his back, starting a conversation to make sure the raven omega would not fall asleep during the walk, asking small questions and opinions and making sure Keiji would answer them.

“Thank you.” Bokuto’s hearing got Yahaba’s voice saying slowly to Kyoutani after a while. “For helping us and… for covering for what Keiji did back there.” Kyoutani grumbled in recognition, helping Yahaba walk around a big rock on their way. “That doesn’t mean I forgive you though… from everything before.” he added and they both fell silent.

“But would that be a start?” Bokuto heard Kyoutani asking after a few minutes in silence.

“Don’t ask stupid questions.” Yahaba had answered annoyed a few moments later, and Bokuto smiled to himself because of the two walking behind him. Then he focused on Keiji’s warmth against his back and happily walked over a big branch on the ground.

“So Keiji, let me tell you about the time Kuroo and I decided to prank Oikawa with green hair dye inside his shampoo back in the academy!” Bokuto said happily.

“Oh my God.” Keiji mumbled, amusement clear in his tone.

“It was a good plan!” Bokuto defended. “Although we should have been sure we were taking Oikawa’s and not Iwaizumi’s shampoo at the time. I guess that’s where it started to go wrong… but anyway!”

And he continued telling the story as they walked, deeply enjoying the small snorts and chuckles Keiji left here and there, and how good it felt having the omega against his back. He was happy, and he loved it. Maybe that’s why he pushed aside the knowledge that a deep migraine was assaulting his own head since the moment that freaking telepath got inside his mind.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of all road-missions since they joined Sentinel Division IV, this one was definitely the most chaotic one. By far.

Not even when Kuroo and Oikawa almost lost their truck in that mud pond, or when Bokuto got lost while wandering off into the woods in the middle of the night because he couldn’t sleep and thought that following an owl would be a nice way to spend the time, or even when a major storm flooded the roads and they had to take shelter in an abandoned wooden cabin in the middle of a mountain for three days.

No, this one definitely takes the prize, and Kenma hated it. The worst of it all is that he has no way of predicting anything. No one saw all this mess coming, and the thing he hated the most was being caught unprepared. Every other time he knew to expect something, after all, Kuroo and Oikawa stopping by a drive-thru while driving together can’t end well, same as Bokuto fighting with insomnia for a whole week, and heavy rain always showed up in the weather forecast!

But no, this is pure chaos waiting in every corner. Unsuspected. The moving had just began and they already faced an surprise empath in a small town, got attacked inside their own camp, busted a farm/rebel base in the middle of nowhere, and now have to run back to the least protected place ever to save the only portion of the squad that shouldn’t be fighting today.

Kenma sighed beside Sugawara and the omega looked at him. “Do you think they’re okay?” he asked the older one just to break the silence, there’s no way any of them could know.

“I hope so.” Sugawara said back and ran a hand through his own face with a sigh. “I just can’t understand why we didn’t see this coming."

“Not our fault Suga. Nothing is making sense anymore.” Kenma said and Sugawara nodded, falling in silence once more. They were both on the back of the small truck Daichi was driving back to the clearing where the squad parked before dawn, Kuroo in the cabin beside their captain.

As soon as Kenma saw the drawing with Keiji’s face and Bokuto sprinted out of the barn back in the farm, and along with Asahi’s call telling that their parking spot was being attacked, they all ran outside to follow the white-haired alpha. Although all they could see was Bokuto speeding out of the farm in a motorcycle with Kyoutani on the passenger seat. Kuroo still tried to call for Bokuto and Iwaizumi even used the radio to ask Kyoutani to wait for the rest of them, but everything fell in deaf ears.

Panic rose up inside Kenma’s chest as the call on the satellite phone was cut down on Asahi’s side. He knew they needed to get back to help the others, but they were too far and with no vehicle, since Bokuto took the apparently only working bike lying around. There were others there, but they soon found out that one had its fuel tank hit during their shooting before, and the other had crashed onto a tree when a man tried to run away on it, now bent in a weird angle and useless. There were also no cars around, since the vehicles they expected to find behind the house were already missing when they got there.

Therefore, they had to run back to the two small trucks they used to get there, but parked a little far from the farm to stay unnoticed. Iwaizumi and Oikawa ran first to get the truck as Kuroo followed them with Sugawara and Kenma, Daichi catching up after leaving sentinel Honda in charge of the farm, telling him to assemble a team with one nurse to also go for the truck and follow them back to camp as their backup, as the rest of the squad would remain in place to secure the farm.

Kenma’s heart was about to beat out of his chest when Iwaizumi drove one of the trucks toward them, meeting them on the last few hundred meters and speeding down on the opposite side to get back to the parking spot. Only when Kenma sat himself beside Kuroo in the back is when he realized he was still clutching the paper with the drawing in his hand, breathing heavily but steady, still surprised that he managed to run so far so suddenly.

“Are you sure they’re after him?” Kuroo had asked when he saw the crumpled paper Kenma was stretching again.

“Yeah, they’re after him.” Kenma nodded, Daichi and Suga also looking at him. “At least the telepath is.”

“But why?” the alpha captain asked. “Keiji and Yahaba were in sector C all this time, why are they being targeted the moment we get them out here? How could anyone know?”

“God, this is such a mess.” Sugawara sighed and laid his head backwards onto the side of the vehicle. “Why does it feel like we’re the ones handing them to the people that suddenly want to get them?”

“Because that’s kind of what we’re doing.” Kuroo said.

“Not them.” Kenma said emphatically while looking at the drawing. “Keiji.” he added and they all fell silent while Iwaizumi just drove faster on the empty road.

Kenma had folded the drawing and told Kuroo to put it inside his uniform’s pocket. He felt that it would be safer there, out of other people’s eyes, until they could make sure everyone was alright and they were safe to talk this through. Kenma took a deep breath to steady his heart beat and laid his head backwards to touch it against the side of the vehicle, one hand finding Kuroo’s and holding it as the alpha tangled their fingers together, while his other hand held onto one of the straps inside to steady him on his seat while Iwaizumi speed down the road toward the convoy’s parking spot.

“I can see tire tracks on the road ahead.” Oikawa said from the truck’s cabin after a while. “Some of the trees have a few scratches too.”

“Can you guys feel anyone around?” Daichi asked the omegas as Iwaizumi eased the gas pedal without fully stopping.

“No, I sense nothing.” Suga said after a moment.

“No one’s here.” Kenma added with a shake of his head.

“I don’t hear anything around other than the wind among the trees.” Oikawa said.

“It’s actually too quiet…” Kuroo trailed off as Daichi moved to use the radio on his shoulder.

“Bravo, Mad-dog, do you guys copy?” Daichi said and they waited for a moment, but just static came from the device.

“I guess that’s a no.” Sugawara said.

“Seems so.” Daichi nodded. “Speed up Iwa, if no one’s around we won’t waste time here, let’s get to the convoy where we know Asahi was calling from. We can come back to investigate here later.”

Iwaizumi took the order and step down again, driving faster so they could get to their friends in time. After a few more minutes they were getting to the roadblock Daichi set up in the early morning, seeing a car cross parked in the middle of the road with the doors open.

“Roadblock still in place, captain. Can see the car parked the same way from when we left.” Oikawa had said from the cabin.

“What? Asahi should have called for them as backup first.” Daichi said, raising an eyebrow before continuing. “Actually… they were supposed to be the first defense. If the car’s still here…” he trailed off.

“I don’t feel anyone around either.” Kenma whispered, Sugawara nodding in agreement and biting his lower lip anxiously.

“Iwa, stop the truck.” Daichi said and Iwaizumi parked the truck a few meters from the roadblock, the four alphas getting out immediately with their weapons in position. Kenma and Sugawara stayed behind them, watching from near the truck as they split in pairs and circled the block from opposite sides.

“Shit.” Iwaizumi cursed when he got to the other side and saw the bodies of the three sentinels on the ground, splashes of their blood onto that side of the vehicle.

“They were basically shot from behind.” Kuroo had said, crouching down to analyze the scene.

“How is this possible?” Oikawa stressed while looking around. “This is a straight road, the only thing on their backs should be our own camp. Did the attackers get there from the other side and not the farm?”

“Then why wouldn’t Asahi call these three to help there?” Iwaizumi showed the sentinels on the ground.

Kenma and Sugawara had approached them by now, but before anyone could say anything else, the echo of gunshots sounded in the distance and they all looked around.

“Dammit, they’re using the woods.” Daichi said.

“But how could they move so many vehicles and weapons into the forest?” Sugawara asked.

“They probably have hidden trails, that’s how they got our blocks from behind.” Kuroo said. “We have to find Bokuto now, where’s these gunshots coming from?”

“They can be coming from anywhere, the sound echoes too much in here.” Oikawa looked around. “And it’s far… it could even be from the camp itself.”

“We have to move, we need to get there!” Daichi said.

“Are we just going to leave these guys here?” Sugawara said toward his mate.

“No. Let’s put them in the back of the truck, hurry!” Daichi said and went to lift one of the men by the legs as Kuroo got him from the arms, Iwaizumi and Oikawa doing the same with another one. Then they got the last one too and the captain went for the parked car. “Let’s take the car too, Iwa and Tooru get back to the truck so we can go back-”

His line was cut when something suddenly made the trees all tremble around them and a bunch of birds and small animals ran to cross the road as if running away from an invisible force. A cold feeling ran into them all and the empaths sucked in a breath as if facing a terrifying presence.

“My God…” Sugawara whispered and clutched onto Daichi’s arm while looking wide eyed toward the woods.

“Was that what I think it was?” Oikawa asked.

“It’s the telepath.” Iwaizumi said, looking toward the same spot. “He’s in that way.”

“Can you tell if he’s alone?” Daichi asked.

“No…” Kenma trailed off. “This was an outburst. Much like the one that empath woman used in the town, but stronger.”

“Then we have to follow.” Kuroo said. “If this was an outburst then he might be fighting right now. Maybe Bokuto and Kyoutani are there.”

“Or maybe the guy is just guiding the attack on the camp from here, it’s not too far.” Oikawa said. “And then Bo-chan and Kyou-Ken-chan may be holding the attack there.”

“We don’t have time to waste with speculations!” Daichi said before turning to the empaths. “Can anyone track down Bokuto and Kyoutani?”

“No I… I can’t feel Koutarou at all.” Kenma said nervously. He was not Bokuto’s mate so their connection was weaker, but usually he could feel the alpha, even if in a small presence. However, right now it was total radio silence, and that scared him.

“Same here, can’t feel Kentarou anywhere.” Iwaizumi also said, biting his lower lip in concern.

“So we keep going.” Daichi said. “Camp is not far, and that’s the one place we know people are waiting for us. We can come back if those two are not there.”

“But what if it’s too late to come back?” Kuroo stressed and Kenma held his hand tightly.

“Then let’s split up.” Oikawa said, beside him Iwaizumi nodded.

“Yes, I think I can follow the presence from here.” the empath alpha said. “Tooru and I will go after the telepath, you guys go back to camp.”

“But what if Bokuto-” Kuroo started.

“If Bokuto and Kyoutani are here we’ll find them.” Iwaizumi cut the raven. “We have to stay in pairs and its better if you don’t drag Kenma inside the woods with this guy around. And Daichi can’t go back to camp alone, go help him there, we got this here.”

Kuroo sighed and looked toward the woods again before nodding. “Alright.”

“Okay, let’s move.” Daichi said and looked toward Oikawa and Iwaizumi. “We’ll take the truck and leave this car here for you guys to use later. Come back fast if you face too much trouble.”

They both had nodded and bid them luck before running together into the woods. Kenma tugged Kuroo’s hand to get his attention and they all went back to the truck, the alphas getting on the cabin and the omegas on the back. Sugawara found a big folded cloth there and covered the fallen sentinels, then seated himself beside Kenma and they both prayed for everyone else to be okay.

Kenma knew that they were all on edge right now, the weight of the situation really sinking in their minds as they sped toward the convoy. Everything was happening too fast and now they knew why the attack on the farm had been so easy. Their enemies were not fully there because they had outsmarted them in a way that ended putting the least protected part of the squad in danger. And if the scene in the roadblock was anything to go by, they could pretty well be walking into the camp to find out they had lost precious friends and companions.

Kenma took a deep breath to try easing his thoughts so that Kuroo wouldn’t get more worried than he already was. He knew that the alpha wanted to go into the woods with Iwaizumi and Oikawa to see if Bokuto was there, but to face the telepath he would need his guide, and Kenma would end up slowing them down in the forest. So Kuroo knew that the other two were the best option, since Iwaizumi was Oikawa’s own guide, other than being faster and physically stronger than Kenma. They got this, he knew it, but it was not enough to ease their concern about everything going on right now.

“We're getting closer to camp.” Daichi’s voice took Kenma out of his thoughts. “Let’s see if the radio works from here.”

Kuroo nodded and went to touch the radio on his shoulder. “Bravo, this is Kilo, do you copy?” he said onto the device and they waited for an answer. But to their frustration no answer came, so after a moment, Kuroo tried again. “Bravo, we’re almost back at camp, are you there?”

Kuroo cursed when no answer was given and Daichi spoke with him. “Let’s try focusing on who we may be able to find. We can’t just enter this clearing blindly.” Daichi said and turned the truck’s radio on, connecting it in line 1. “Sentinels of Squad IV, this is Captain Sawamura. Does anyone copy?”

To their surprise the radio did bring an answer now, first more like a bunch of rushed noises, as if someone was trying to learn how to use it. Then a young voice came through, mixed with some static and the close sound of gunshots.

_“Hum… oh! Hello! Captain?”_ the voice said slowly before getting more brightly. _“Hey, hey! Captain’s here! How do I answer him!?”_

 _“You’re already answering him, Boke!”_ came another voice and more gunshots.

“Shoyou?” Kenma whispered in the back, the sound of the radio loud enough for him and Sugawara to hear. Beside him, the silver haired omega breathed a _‘thank god!’_

“Kageyama, is that you? What’s your status?” Daichi said, recognizing the second voice.

They all frowned when no other answer came. Daichi was about to call again when the voices came back, rushed and angry like a bickering.

_“...button! You need to press the button before speaking! The top one on the side!”_ Kageyama said angrily and more gunshots sounded in the background.

 _“I am pressing it!”_ Hinata’s screech got to them. _“You’re the one not talking! And neither is the captain! Did he go away!?”_

“I didn’t leave, I’m reaching camp in a few. Can you guys hear me?” Daichi tried to speak but the others didn’t seem to get his voice.

 _“I’m shooting, I can’t use the radio now, that's why I gave it to you!”_ they heard Kageyama bark at the young omega. _“You have to let go of the button so you can hear his reply!”_

 _“Oh! Alright! Captain, I’m letting go of the button now! Please don’t go away!”_ Hinata said before the line went mute again.

“Heavens…” Kuroo mumbled with a sigh, running his hand against his face as Daichi spoke into the radio again.

“This is Captain Sawamura, I can hear you both fine. We’re reaching camp, but I need to know how many enemies to expect.” Daichi said seriously before adding in a more soothed tone. “Now, Hinata, you’re going to press the button again so Kageyama can speak into the line alright? Hold it until he finishes his report. Do it now.” and they waited for the reply as Daichi started to park the truck, the convoy’s clearing already in front of them.

 _“Yeah, alright! I am pressing it again! Speak Kageyama!”_ they heard the omega saying.

 _“Don’t trust it against my face, boke! And keep your freaking head down!”_ Kageyama barked before shooting a couple more times, then his voice came back. _“Captain, we are taking shelter inside the convenience store. Alpha Azumane-san was hit so we got him inside the storage room with the other omegas-”_

 _“He’s pretty much passed out by now…”_ Hinata spoke, cutting Kageyama’s speech with a sigh.

 _“Shut up! I’m talking to the captain!”_ Kageyama said and they heard Hinata screeching _‘sorry!’_ before the young alpha continued. _“Hostiles were trying to get inside from the open window, but they seem to have given up on that. There are some of them still shooting from behind the omega’s truck on the center of the clearing. I cannot hit them from my position, just hold the ground so they won’t get inside. Over.”_ he finished and resumed shooting until his voice sounded again. _“Let go of the button, Boke!”_

 _“Sorry-”_ Hinata’s line was cut as he let go of the button. Daichi had parked the truck and Kuroo stepped out of the cabin, Sugawara and Kenma also joining him outside.

“Copy that sentinel. Stand by until I clear the way.” the captain let go of the radio and exited the truck. “Kuroo, you and I will get the ones in the center from behind.” then he looked toward the omegas. “Do you two feel anyone else around?”

“No, I don’t believe there’s many of them left.” Sugawara said.

“Me neither, but take a look on the forest behind yourselves just in case.” Kenma added.

“Alright.” Daichi nodded and motioned for Kuroo to start moving, the other holding his rifle in position and going for the clearing. “You two get inside the cabin. Keep attention around and drive toward us if you think you’re getting attacked.” he added before following the other alpha.

Kenma entered the truck’s cabin on the passenger seat as Sugawara took the driver’s one. They watched as Kuroo and Daichi jogged toward the edge of the clearing, then walked side by side while aiming for the attackers in front of them. Both omegas noticed the first shots leaving their alphas’ rifles before they went out of their side as they cleared the way. After a few minutes that seemed like hours, which they both spent with close attention to their mates’ feelings through their bond, Kuroo’s voice sounded inside Kenma’s head to say the place was secured.

“Kuro told us to move, the place is safe.” Kenma told Sugawara with clear relief in his voice.

“Thank God!” the other omega breathed out and turned the vehicle on, driving them ahead and parking beside one of the convoy’s trucks. Sugawara and Kenma both knew how to drive, having learned secretly from their mates in their first year on the squad. They almost never did it, which got Kenma pretty much out of practice, but still they knew how to do it if it ever came to be necessary.

Kenma left the truck as soon as it stopped, running toward Kuroo who was cuffing a couple of men still breathing. “Is Bokuto here?” he asked his mate.

“No, not that I could see.” Kuroo shook his head. “Dammit! I don’t know if that's a good sign or a bad one!”

“Let’s hope it’s a good one Tetsu.” Kenma said and held Kuroo’s hand, guiding him to where Sugawara was joining Daichi near the store.

“Kageyama!” Daichi shouted. “We’re here! Place is safe!

To their surprise, the young sentinel was not the first one to show up on the store’s broken window, but instead a bunch of orange hair and bright wide eyes.

“Captain, you’re here!” Hinata yelled in happiness, then his eyes widened even more when he saw Sugawara. “SUGA-SAN!”

“Wait up Boke! You need to let me see if the place is cleared first!” Kageyama came from behind the omega and held him by his collar the moment he was about to run toward the older one on the outside.

“It’s clear! Look! They’re here!” Hinata said and pointed toward them all, making the young sentinel look at them before nodding and releasing the smaller one. Hinata jumped out the store and ran toward Sugawara, hugging the omega’s waist and hiding the face in his chest. “Suga-san! I’m so glad you’re back!”

“Thank heavens you’re alright.” Sugawara said and hugged Hinata back, one hand caressing the orange hair. Then he looked toward the store, seeing one of its sides crumbled in pieces along with all the bullet holes. “God… what happened here?” he whispered.

“We were attacked!” Hinata jumped out of the hug and waved his arms in the air. “They came out of nowhere and then VUPT! TA TA TA!!! Shots came from everywhere!” Hinata was making all kinds of noises now while jumping around as he recounted the situation. “I was scared to death! But Keiji-san stopped me from running, then we got behind the truck, but the doctor was hit and Kageyama threw a fake grenade, and then the machine gun-”

“Hey, hey! Slow down!” Daichi said, trying to get Hinata’s attention. “Where is Asahi?” he asked.

“Still inside, his mate said he’ll be fine though. I’ll take you to him.” Kageyama said.

“And what about Bokuto? Did he get here before us?” Kuroo asked.

“You guys are the first to come back.” Kageyama answered. “We tried to call for the ones on the roadblocks but they never answered the call.”

“Yeah, we passed by one on the way here. I hoped that the second one wasn’t hit the same way though.” Daichi said.

“Shoyou,” Kenma said next, getting the orange haired attention away from the other’s conversation. “You said Keiji was with you. Where is he now?”

“Oh! He left!” Hinata said. “I tried to stop them, and Asahi-san told them to stay, but Keiji-san said that we would be safer without him here!” he waved his hands in the air again. “Then he and Yahaba-san went to the roof, and a few minutes later came this huge sound that BOOM! And everything trembled inside the building, and we thought that people were trying to explode us! But then we heard lots of people screaming and running toward the back of the store, so we think they were after them!” he finished breathing hard.

“Just a few minutes after that we heard another scream and the machine gun stopped shooting.” Kageyama said and pointed to the abandoned weapon on top of a vehicle in front of the store. “There was another car and a few motorcycles here before, but I heard them driving away after that, can’t say for sure if they went after the omegas, but those ones you caught here stood behind to steal our trucks. They wanted me to give them the lock key.”

“Dammit, how do they know about those?” Daichi cursed.

“If Keiji’s not here then Bokuto probably followed him elsewhere.” Kuroo said, ignoring the issue about the trucks. “I bet they were facing the telepath out in the woods. I’m going back!” he started walking back toward the truck they used before.

“Tetsu wait! You can’t go alone!” Kenma said and jogged after him.

“Kuroo! Get your ass back here!” Daichi ordered. “We need to re-establish the perimeter and secure the place in case more of them come back. Wait for the backup Honda is sending from the farm!”

“I’m not going to stand by while the others may be having their brains melted as we speak!” Kuroo said angrily toward Daichi. “Oikawa and Iwaizumi might not be enough! We have to go there now!”

“People need us here too!” Daichi barked back at him. “We have to trust they will manage to-”

The captain’s line was cut when they suddenly heard the sound of a car approaching from the road. The alphas all took their weapons out and aimed toward the edge of the clearing, standing in position in case more enemies were coming.

_“Hey, Tetsu, Cap! Are you guys at camp?”_ Bokuto’s voice suddenly came from the radio on Kuroo’s shoulder. _“We’re getting there! Don’t shoot us!”_

They all sighed in relief and put their weapons down. Not a minute later Kyoutani was parking the roadblock’s car inside the clearing. 

“Thank God, you’re alive.” Kuroo jogged toward the car and hugged Bokuto the moment the alpha opened the door and stepped out. Then he let go and punched his friend’s arm. “Don’t you ever run away like that again!”

“Ouch! Tetsu! That hurt!” Bokuto cried while rubbing his upper arm. “Besides, I didn’t have a choice! We barely got there in time!”

Hearing that and seeing that Bokuto was at least in one piece, Kenma turned his attention to the car’s back seats, going to open the back door and seeing the two omegas inside. Yahaba gave him a tired smile from the other side while Keiji was resting his head onto his friend’s shoulder, eyes closed. The raven omega opened his eyes when Kenma opened the door on his side, moving to sit up slowly.

“Hello Kenma, nice to see you again.” Keiji said in a low voice.

“God, did that guy do this to you?” Kenma asked as he looked at Keiji’s face, seeing two huge red and blue bruises on his cheek and jaw, another dark one on his neck that looked too much like human hands, apart from many cuts and dried blood all over the left side of his head. Yahaba was hurt as well, but somehow Keiji seemed much worse.

“Looks worse than it feels.” Keiji tried to smile at Kenma.

“Ptz! Liar.” Yahaba scoffed from inside the car while Keiji started to move himself.

“Hey! Take it easy!” Bokuto told Keiji when he saw that the omega was moving to step out of the car. “You may have a concussion, so stop trying to walk for a while!”

“Let me see.” Sugawara said and Kenma stepped out of the way so that he could look at Keiji, hands hovering carefully and opening his eyes with the tip of his fingers. “Yeah… your pupils are off. And we need to know where all this blood ran from. Are you dizzy? Nauseous?”

“Yeah, can’t get one foot in front of the other.” Yahaba said. “Not that he’ll ever admit it though.”

Keiji tried to turn around to scowl at his friend but Sugawara held his face in place. The older omega told the squad’s captain that they needed the medical truck there and Daichi retrieved a master key from his belt, giving it to Kuroo and asking him to go bring the truck from down the line of parked vehicles. Kyoutani then also approached the captain, saying that he needed to get back to Iwaizumi and Oikawa with equipment to catalog the scene in the forest.

“So we lost the telepath?” Daichi asked.

“Yeah, didn’t have a choice though.” Bokuto said.

Daichi sighed but nodded later. “Alright, I’ll just have to deal with it.” he then gave another key to Kyoutani. “Go to the first truck and grab a camera, plastic bags and evidence kits. Are you sure you can find your way back to the other two?”

“Yes, I know the way.” Kyoutani said and went to get the things they needed.

Daichi nodded and looked at the omegas still in the car. “Let’s get you two out so Kyoutani can use this car. Come to the omega truck while Kuroo brings the medical one.” he said before turning around and saying he was going to take a look at Asahi, calling Kageyama along so they could take the doctor out as well.

Sugawara stepped back and Bokuto went to get Keiji out of the car, holding the omega in his arms even though the raven was saying he was fine enough to walk. The alpha just laughed and asked Keiji to give him this one more chance to help. Keiji mumbled a few more things as Bokuto walked with him to the omega’s truck. Kenma watched amused before hearing Yahaba’s curse as the other stepped out of the car, so he went to his side and offered an arm for support.

“Were you shot?” Kenma asked, seeing the trail of blood down the omega’s thigh.

“Just grazed, I’m fine.” Yahaba said. “I can walk, it just hurts a little.”

Kenma hummed and helped him toward the omega truck, following Bokuto at a much slower pace.

“We won’t run away again.” Yahaba said suddenly and Kenma looked at him. They stopped walking and Kenma looked around noticing they now stood alone, everyone else doing their tasks at hand. He faced Yahaba and waited as the omega sighed with closed eyes toward the sky as if grounding himself, then he locked eyes with Kenma. “Keiji said you knew we had a plan. I won’t try it again. We’ll go with you guys to the base.”

“What changed?” Kenma asked him slowly.

“That telepath.” Yahaba sighed again. “I’ve never seen that much anger and hatred before, not even in Sector C, not even with my family when…” he trailed off and stared at the ground for a moment, Kenma noticed that his eyes were a little wet.

“You weren’t born in Sector C like Keiji, were you?” Kenma whispered to which Yahaba only shook his head. The omega said nothing else of the matter, but Kenma did not need a step-by-step confession. He knew now that Yahaba went through what would have happened to himself if Kuroo were not a sentinel. The spark of hate he saw flashing through his father’s eyes, the disbelief and confusion in his mother’s, the shouts outside his bedroom as he laid in pain on the floor. Yahaba was Kenma, without Kuroo.

Kenma waited in silence as Yahaba regained control of his own emotions. Behind them Kyoutani came back to the car and drove away into the road to go meet with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, while from inside the store Daichi and Kageyama were now walking out while supporting Asahi on both sides, luckily the doctor was awake and seemed better than expected. On the omega’s truck, Sugawara was now in front of Keiji, running a probably wet cloth over his face to clean the dried blood as he looked among the dark hair to find the wound that caused it. Bokuto, after delivering Keiji safely, was the one now walking back toward them.

“Hey, do you want me to help you to the truck?” Bokuto asked Yahaba when he got to them.

“No. I’m fine.” Yahaba said and after a last deep breath, looked up to face the alpha. “Can I really trust you?”

The alpha frowned confused and Kenma decided to speak things clearly, so it would not get more attention than they wanted. “To get them back Bo. He said they won’t run away anymore, they’ll go with us to Fukuoka.”

Bokuto’s eyes widened and sparkled for a moment. “You serious?”

Yahaba scoffed. “Don’t look so pleased, this is way far from what I want.” he crossed his arms, resigned. “We almost got it today, home seemed so much closer but… but that guy didn’t spare lives in order to get to us. And I don’t believe he is the only one out there. I can’t risk Keiji’s life in another encounter like this.”

Bokuto nodded, expression more contained. “I’ll take you back Yahaba. I will make sure you guys get home safe. I swear on my life.” the alpha said.

Yahaba laughed without humor. “Damn… Yaku would kill me if he knew I trusted an alpha.” he said to himself.

“This is the best way to do it.” Kenma said, trying to lift the mood. “Let us help you guys on this. You’re safer with us.”

“Not safer.” Yahaba shook his head. “This is just less immediate danger. The ones wanting Keiji will be closer than ever.”

“But they’ll be looking for him elsewhere.” Kenma reasoned, somehow noticing he also felt a need of keeping these two hidden. “And while you’re with us, we can figure out how to control his powers better. This is not just Bokuto’s promise, please, trust me too.”

Yahaba looked startled toward Kenma but Bokuto was the one to speak. “Keiji can’t control it, can he? Whatever he did in that clearing, you guys don’t know what that was.”

Yahaba sighed again. “That’s not even the tip of the iceberg.” he trailed off. “Everything's just a puzzle-mess that I’m not even going to pretend to know where to start.”

“For your luck, I like puzzles.” Kenma said with a nod. “So, are you in?”

Yahaba looked at him for a moment before mustering a side smile. “Yeah, I’m in.”

“Alright!” Bokuto cried happily. “Let’s do this!”

“Ease up big guy,” Yahaba said with a smirk and pointed at Kenma. “I trust him more than I trust you.”

“Maaann…” Bokuto whined dejected and Kenma scoffed. “What did I ever do to you?”

“You kidnapped them.” Kenma stated, offering his arm to help Yahaba walk again.

“Keeeennmaaaa!!!” Bokuto whined loudly, getting the attention of everyone else in the clearing. Then he noticed Kenma’s arm and looked at Yahaba again. “Are you sure I can’t carry you to the truck?” he asked concerned.

“No way in hell.” Yahaba said and Kenma snorted. “I have to keep the slim dignity I have left.” then he took Kenma’s aid and they started to walk again together.

“Welcome to Squad IV.” Kenma said. “Dignity has no place here.”

“You omegas are too mean.” Bokuto said from behind them, following dejected and kicking small rocks on the ground.

“Can I put ants on his sleeping bag?” Yahaba asked.

“They’re already there with the amount of candy he forgets everywhere.” Kenma said and smirked at Yahaba. “But we can always put wasabi and red pepper in their soup. And I can show you where to find green dye and Kyoutani’s shampoo, in case you’re interested.”

Yahaba laughed for the first time since getting back. “Well, I think I already like you better, Kozume-san.” he said with a smirk of his own.

“Please, just call me Kenma.” he smiled and together they made their way toward the others, reaching them at the same time the medical truck was being parked inside their now much safer parking spot.

____________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Hey, Hey!!! Not a cliff hanger before our iminent hyatus! I'm not that mean!
> 
> Or perhaps I am... anyway!  
> I promise I'll stop hurting Keiji and Yahaba!!! Someday... not now, the plot is just starting, we need a little more development here and there, though. Plus, I needed a traumatic experience for them now, so...  
> Another thing, I don't know why my OCs keep wanting screen time. Do you guys believe that in the first draft that telepath went on a full blow Disney Villain monologue? Everything got so strange that I had to cut more than five pages and re-write the scene again! I'll use that part in the future tho, just in another way that doesn't get too boring. 
> 
> Ah! The KageHina moment with the radio was totally unplanned, but since gwy asked for more of those in the comment last chapter, I decided to add it! Hope you liked it! It left me with an absurd need of squeeshing Hinata's cheek to the afterlife!
> 
> I have already started chapter 17, but still much in the beginning of it, though. I'll try keeping you guys updated through social media. Also, thank you so much for the interactions on my Tumblr post this week. I was anxious that people wouldn't care for it, but when the kudos and comments came I was so happy! Thank you!  
> I decided to go back on my old Twitter since I know not many of you use Tumblr, so you guys can find me there too. I linked it downwards after the fanarts! Just a warning tho, I'm not really used to Twitter, so be nice with me if I do stupid things there...
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter! I'll be posting the next one as soon as possible!  
> Everyone be safe and have a great sunday! And for my readers in Australia and Philippines, good monday and great week to you all! See you!


	17. Please, Tell Me You’re Still There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am coming back for this. That’s a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Look who's back!
> 
> Sorry for making you guys waiting for a whole month! Go ahead and enjoy the chapter, we'll talk more in the end! 
> 
> Trigger warning for Panic Attacks, be safe!

November 13th - 7:00am - Tokyo’s Sector C

He was in hell.

Why was everything happening like this? Why was he the one there? Why, why, why? Why didn’t he know, why couldn’t he tell? Why do things need to be this way?

He tried to keep himself calm, he really did, but everything was so messed up. The panic running through his veins, the pain in his heart, the lack of air in his lungs. All the knowing signs of a panic attack assaulted him, so strong and so fast he could not control it. In the beginning he knew it was not his own, but eventually it did become his.

Why were things like that? What was happening to his friends? Where were they? Why wasn’t he there too? What was he still doing here? Why can’t he know? Why can’t he feel? Where should he go? How can he make things better?

All these questions continued to assault Yaku’s brain as he clutched his shirt above his heart and tried to control his breathing during the panic attack he was experiencing. The sun had barely risen in the horizon, the day just started, when everything crashed onto him from their pack bond. He had just found a corner in the shadow of a building to get some sleep after being awake all night training Lev’s hearing when the feeling of adrenaline awoke him. First, he thought it was his subconscious awakening him because some kind of threat was approaching, but after looking around the small alley and realizing he was indeed alone and the sector was silent, he figured out that those were his friends’ emotions.

Well to be fair, it was basically Keiji’s emotions, since Yahaba was not a powerful empath, his own sensations couldn’t travel so far with this intensity, and that was exactly what troubled Yaku. The force that the sensations hit him with was new, not even he thought that Keiji’s powers were this strong so soon, which meant that its development was not just normal growing, but it was being intensified for something else.

Power always finds power. This was what his mother and Hana always told him while growing up. When a power exists, it can either stay dormant or it can develop if the person is aware and works with it. However, when another power comes closer it will pull even the most dormant one to the surface, and initiate the growing whether the vessels wish for it or not. 

That's the primal reason why Yaku never trained Keiji in developing his empath powers, because once they started, it would grow strong enough to be felt outside their home, and that would out them to their enemies. Also because of that, Yaku kept his own abilities at bay, never using them so that he would not end up waking up Keiji’s dormant ones. Hana told him that someday, whether they wanted it or not, Keiji’s heritage would awaken his powers, especially when dangerous situations were to follow, but they hoped to be somewhere safe when that was to happen.

That was actually his mother’s plan. Sector C was never meant to be a “forever home” in any way. Yaku Saya hoped to stay hidden until people came to their aid, raising the two boys in secret until the moment they would leave Tokyo to a safer place where she would teach them everything they needed to know about their powers. A place where Keiji could learn and grow without the risk of being found by their enemies.

But the help never came and they never knew why. Yaku gave up on that promised rescue since his mother died, because after ten years waiting he could only conclude that either people did not know where they were, or they had already been killed by their enemies like everyone else. Therefore, they were alone, and whoever was that his mother trusted in the past was not coming for them. Which meant that Keiji’s power would be a problem in the future, even with Yaku wishing for it to stay dormant.

However, their life was dangerous and that was what awaked it. That last Hunt was the final straw for Keiji’s power to come to the surface, starting a new chain of events that are now rising too fast while they are apart from each other. To be fair, Keiji’s nightmares were prove that his abilities wouldn’t stay dormant forever, but the sudden need to protect each other from the alphas that attacked them that night, and then being taken away to a new place with strange people, took down the last wall that kept his powers from walking free.

And now Yaku was sure that Keiji was facing more than his new abilities, he had found someone powerful too. This new person had abilities strong enough to push Keiji’s empathy to grow, probably as a survival response if all the angst and fear Yaku was receiving was anything to go by. And today Yaku realized the new extension of Keiji’s growth, when suddenly he could not only feel Keiji’s presence, but Yahaba’s as well.

First Yaku felt a deep need of protection, like an urge to save a friend’s life, as if holding all the means to keep another person alive. Then suddenly Yaku saw Yahaba in the back of his mind, felt his presence all around as if getting inside the other’s head, then came the ghost of knowledge, as if pushing a random button that unlocked a new skill inside his friend’s brain. Not much later, the same sensation came with Keiji’s presence, and he knew there that Keiji had found out something new himself.

Tears came to Yaku’s eyes at that moment and he actually left a sobbed-laugh as he felt his friends fighting back whatever it was that was challenging them at the moment. Of course he was worried by the sole existence of that threat, but he couldn’t contain the proud feeling that rose up inside himself. But unfortunately that didn’t last long, because only a few moments later he felt a deep pain inside his head and heart, and then suddenly everything was completely quiet. A silence that he had never experienced before.

“No…” Yaku whispered to himself, looking around desperately as if his friends would just pop from around the corner. “No, no, no, NO!”

Panic started to rise and he jumped to his feet, walking around the small alley with pained breaths. He needed to keep himself together or he would miss any feeling that could come through their bond, but that sudden cut in their connection made him remember a fear he had felt once, over ten years ago.

For the first time in his life Yaku tried to call for Keiji inside his mind, hoping that at least his presence could go through if not his words. He never did it before because that could instigate the raven’s powers and end up getting them into trouble, but now he longed for it, craving to feel that constant presence once again. But if the deep torturous silence was anything to go by, Keiji was not there to answer.

“No…” Yaku fell to his knees and sobbed. He couldn’t breathe, his lungs were closed, the words were missing and his ears were deaf. He shook his head and clutched his shirt over his heart, tears spilling from his eyes. Was that it? Were they gone? Was that silence the sole companion he would have from now on? 

Keiji has been there all his life, a soothing presence in his mind, one last reminder that he was not alone after his mom passed. The last straw of an old mission, of hope for a better future, of a beloved family. He couldn’t lose Keiji, he couldn’t-

_Calm down! You don’t know that!_

Came his mother’s voice and Yaku shook his head again. He couldn’t answer her, not with words and not with thoughts. He cried harder as an outlet for the panic, taking deep breaths in order to regain control of himself. He feared that silence since his mom died, had cried for days after realizing she was not there anymore. Only later, after the grief eased in his heart was that he realized that the bond they had was stronger than life itself, that a mother/child connection was something not even death could erase. And that’s why her voice always came to him in times of need, as a last presence of an old safe fortress, a guardian for when his thoughts got the best of him and doubt flooded his soul.

However, she was not physically there anymore, and now neither was Keiji. He feared for Yahaba as well, for Hana and all the others. He was supposed to be the strong one there, and now he felt like nothing he did was enough to protect the people he loved.

“Please… please.” Yaku begged, touching his forehead against the alley’s ground as tears ran freely. His mom tried to call for him again, but even her voice was far and small now. He was alone, and that scared him more than anything.

Then after what seemed like hours, something came back. A tiny sound, a small presence. A single spark of din light that took form and grew little by little in the horizon. Yaku gasped and the air flooded his lungs again, panic sharing space with relief. He cried again, his sobs now accompanied by laughs that shook his body. It’s there, it’s back. 

Keiji is alive.

Yaku thanked whatever entity that heard his prayers, both in thoughts and out loud. He sat up on the ground and took deep breaths to regain control. It had been a while since he had a panic attack like this. Usually he was the one with the best control over his emotions, always the rock that grounded his friends in their time of need. But now, alone in the ruins of an old city, his own breaking point seemed closer than ever. He knew that his friends’ absence would raise his anxiety, but the sudden disappearance of the presences in their pack bond was a hit too strong for him to bear alone.

But somehow they came back, and now Yaku could breathe again. He was fine, they were fine, everything will be alright. But it just did not quite seem like that yet. In fact, Keiji’s presence was still weak, as if the raven omega was hurt and confused, trying to understand whatever it was that was happening around himself. Yaku feared that Keiji was still in danger, wherever he was, and he felt the cold panic starting to come back along the need of being by his friends’ side.

“They’re not safe…” Yaku mumbled to himself. “I… I need to go!” adrenaline came to his veins and he shot up to his feet, running out of the alley and into the streets. He ran toward the edge of the sector, aiming for the spot in the fence where he had found the sewer cover earlier in the morning.

 _Wait! Where do you think you’re going!?_ His mother’s voice came back to his mind.

“I need to get to them!” Yaku said to her between breaths as he ran to the fence. “They’re in danger! I need to go!”

_And you think you can get to them now!? You cannot leave the sector in broad daylight!_

“I can’t let them die!” Yaku shouted, panic rising to his throat and filling his eyes with new tears. He could feel Keiji better, but that brought along waves of pain through all his body, a deep headache and a blinding fear he knew the other was experiencing now. Yaku got to the old sewer cover and moved the garbage and debris he had put on it before to keep it hidden, then he grabbed the handler and tried to pull it open.

 _Morisuke, Stop! Stick to the plan!_ His mother told him but was ignored. He pushed her voice to the back of his mind to focus on the task at hand. He could not wait for their plan to work, that would be too late, he needed to get to his friends now!

Yaku got a small broken metal pole to help him turn the handler to unlock the cover, and after much scratching of metal against metal and a deep _click_ , he pulled it open and didn’t hesitate before jumping inside the old sewer. The place was drenched in darkness and basically dry, which wasn’t surprising since it has been more than twenty years since this part of Tokyo was abandoned of any kind of administration. He walked forward into the sewer, touching the side walls to guide himself. He could hear small noises here and there, and he didn’t know if he was happy or not that he couldn’t see the rats and other animals living there.

Luckily, nothing touched him before his hand found a new metal structure against the wall. It was cold under his hands and even in the darkness he could notice that it was stairs, so he held onto it with both hands and began to climb it up. This new sewer cover was a bit trickier to open, since he was not just trying it from inside, but also he had to trust his touch alone, eyes completely useful. But eventually he got it, and as soon as the cover slid to the side, a bunch of morning light collided against him and he had to close his eyes to get used to it.

Once his eyes were working properly enough to look around outside the sewer, Yaku hopped out of it and slowly closed it again. He was in an alley between two buildings, a big black dumpster beside him and another one across from it a little to the side. They both were visibly full and there were several garbage bags piled around them, as much as parts of some old broken furniture, also a half broken mirror that stared back at Yaku as soon as he looked up and saw his reflection across the alley.

How long has it been since he saw himself like this? The half mirror was old and dirty, offering a pretty poor image, but he still noticed his mess of a hair, the dark bags under his eyes, and much thin appearance, with the line of his bones too visible for his liking. But that meant nothing to him now, so he shook his head and looked around again, noticing the Sector C’s fence all across the street on his right side, its sheer presence strong enough to make him shiver, as if calling him back inside. He took a deep breath and looked away from it, facing his left side where one of the dumpsters was, and beyond it, a Sector B’s side street.

Yaku stood up to his feet and walked to the edge of the alley, trying to focus his attention in any possible presences around. It was actually more difficult than it should, since he could still feel Keiji’s panic through their bond. He could feel him tired, scared, on edge, in pain. Then also came a deep fear and a sudden need to breathe, and now he couldn’t even tell if that need came from Keiji or from Yahaba.

_Morisuke! You are too distracted, you’re going to get caught! Go back to the sector!_ His mother ordered suddenly and he realized he had closed his eyes while trying to understand what was happening to his friends. He took another breath and faced the street again. He would not go back now! He was going to find a way to get to Keiji and Yahaba so he could save-

“Meow!”

Yaku almost jumped out of his skin when the sudden noise echoed from behind him. He looked back and saw that same grey cat with piercing light green eyes. The animal was staring right at him while sitting in the middle of the alley, its tail moving a little from side to side.

“Meow!” it said again.

“Dear heavens…” Yaku sighed in relief, hand on top of his chest to ease his breathing again. “Go away, I don’t have time for you.” he _shooed_ the animal.

“Meow!” it did again, louder this time.

“Shhh!” Yaku put a finger over his mouth. “Shut up! Someone is going to hear-”

He cut his line when another presence started to approach, coming from the corner of the side street he was looking into. Yaku cursed under his breath and ran back inside the alley, hiding behind the dumpster again, right on top of the sewer cover from where he came from. He held his breath and crouched down to hide while praying to any deity out there to keep the person walking past the alley, he couldn’t be found by the very first person he encountered out here!

“Meow!” Yaku heard again and now the cat was right in front of him, still staring at him but right in the middle of the alley. The presence got closer and now Yaku could feel it was a male alpha, probably a police officer on patrol, and that could end badly if the guy has enhanced hearing to catch this cat’s noises.

“Meow! Meow!” the little bastard did again and Yaku snatched him from the ground, holding him in his arms and closing its little mouth with a hand to prevent more noises. Curiously, the cat didn’t put up a fight, looking quite comfortable against Yaku’s body and not trying to bite the hand on its face.

Yaku held his breath again while the presence stopped for a moment in the corner of the alley, then he heard the steps getting closer and his heart started beating faster. The cat purred on his arms but the omega could only feel the fear rising on his veins. Still he focused on easing his thoughts, he knew that he was scared himself, but the cacophony of sensations running inside him was also coming from their pack bond. Keiji was afraid, he could feel it, but he couldn’t let the other’s feelings overshadow his own and screw his chances of dealing with the problem at hand.

So he closed his eyes and pushed the feelings from their bond to the back of his mind. The cat on his arms was a surprisingly comfortable and warm presence that aided the situation. When his heartbeat got more controlled, he was able to expand his mind and noticed that the man was even closer to his hiding spot then he had realized, cursing at himself for being so clumsy in such an important moment. He also noticed that the alpha’s mind was basically unprotected, so he took that chance and sent some suggestions to his brain.

_Go back, there is nothing to be seen in this alley other than garbage bags. Go back to your duties._

The man’s steps halted and Yaku focused on reassuring the order once more. After a couple of minutes in unease silence, the alpha huffed a breath and turned around, leaving the alley and disappearing in the awakening city. 

Yaku let out a deep sigh of relief when the presence went away, letting go of the cat’s face and rested his head backward against the side of the building with closed eyes. What was he doing really? This was too risky and he knew it. But how else could he get to his friends in time to protect them?

_By sticking to the plan, you know it pretty well!_ Came an angry voice.

Yaku chuckled. “Don’t get mad at me, Mom.”

_Then don’t do stupid things! You’re better than that!_

Yaku sighed again and then Keiji’s presence came rushing back through the bond, as if riding in an explosion of senses and feelings. Yaku blinked confused but noticed soon enough that this new outburst was a manifestation of Keiji’s own powers, which got to him much as an order meant to echo through miles away.

_Stop!_ Yaku heard Keiji’s voice in his head and then everything was clear in his eyes. He knew that the order was not meant for him, but it worked all the same. His breathing eased completely back to its normal state, his head was clear, his heartbeat controlled, and the fear he had been feeling since waking up earlier disappeared entirely. Keiji’s order was not meant for himself, but it stopped his panic all the same.

Yaku stood in the same position a while longer, eyes opened but far from seeing anything as he focused on feeling their pack bond. He felt Keiji’s mind going somewhere else, finding another presence that soon enough disappeared altogether. Then his friend’s presence also eased, the fear and hurt numbing back to its normal self. He was not being attacked anymore, although still physically injured, everything seemed to be back to normal somehow.

Yaku left a deep breath and came back to his own senses. Keiji and Yahaba were fine again, he was sure of it now. The realization sent a wave of relief through his body, soon followed by a wave of shame as he took notice of his surroundings again and all the risk he had just brought upon himself by leaving the sector alone. 

“Meow.” the small sound came to his ears again and he looked down to the cat on his lap, just now realizing that he has been caressing its fur while lost in thought. “Meow!” it did again, happily as they locked eyes.

“Yeah, I know. It was stupid of me to come here.” Yaku chuckled, hand caressing the slender body.

 _“Oh! You think?”_ came back his sarcastic mother.

“Yeah Mom, I know.” he chuckled again. “Sorry for worrying you. I’ll go back now.”

He didn’t move to stand up immediately and the cat lifted its body to caress its head against the omega’s chin, purring loudly with closed eyes.

“Pttz… you’re quite a needy one, aren’t you?” Yaku scoffed. “Do you live nearby?”

The cat only looked back at him and tilted its head. “Meow?”

“Well, I thought it might be the case, since I met you that other day by the fence, right?”

“Meow?” the cat blinked confused and Yaku left a small laugh.

“Great, now I’m talking to a cat.” he shook his head but looked toward the feline again. “Yes, that other day. You basically landed on top of my head before running away and jumping into Lev’s back. Although the idiot said your fur was brown…” he trailed off, “maybe the light was off where he was standing. What other reason for him not seeing your grey color-”

Yaku cut his speech suddenly and his eyes widened as he distractedly lifted his head again and ended up looking ahead to the same old mirror he saw his reflection before. Obviously the mirror was still there, and obviously he could still see himself in it, but something else caught his attention this time, something that froze the blood in his veins again.

The reflection in the mirror showed himself, light brown hair and eyes just like before, but Yaku noticed that something was missing in the mirror, something he was sure it should be there. He looked down again to make sure the cat was still on his lap, just to be met with the same curious green eyes staring back at him. The omega then scooped the animal with both hands, holding it up closer to his own face and receiving a lick in the point of his nose followed by a soft _meow_. Yaku ignored the lick and without moving the cat away, tilted his head to the side and looked past the animal, toward the mirror again, holding his breath as he noticed his reflection staring back at him with huge eyes… and empty hands in front of himself.

_“Now that’s an interesting development.”_ his mother’s voice came again and it was the spark to get Yaku out of his shock.

“No.” he said and let go of the cat, shaking his head and standing back onto his feet. “No, no, no, no! I don’t have time for this!”

 _“Time for what, Morisuke darling?”_ his giggly mother asked.

“Shut up Mom, don’t start!” he said before looking back at the cat that had jumped on top of the big dumpster and was now facing him again. “And you, you’re not real, stay away from Me.” he added while pointing a finger at the animal.

“MEOW!” the cat said.

“Don’t _meow_ at me!” Yaku bit back, then he moved to open the sewer cover again while still arguing with the cat. “I don’t have time for bullshits like this. I have to go back and wait for Lev’s exam so I can go find Keiji and Yahaba! No time to lose with you!” he looked at the cat again after half opening the passage to the sewer.

“HIISSSS!!” the cat hissed outraged at him.

“Hey! Watch your tone with me or I will cook you for dinner!” Yaku told the cat before a new sudden noise came from behind him, like a surprised gasp or something. The omega swirled around and froze when he saw a newcomer in the corner of the alley on the side of the street leading to Sector C’s fence.

Time seemed to freeze as both men stared at each other. Yaku never saw this person before and every nerve inside his body was telling him to run back to the sector before this guy could do anything to him. But running inside the sewer now would get the other’s attention, and risk blowing up his escape route altogether.

“Sorry I… I didn't know there was someone around here.” the man said slowly and seemed genuinely as surprised as Yaku was. He was a tall and slim guy, blond short hair and glasses in front of his golden-brown eyes. His Beta presence and the simple work clothes and bag held around his torso showed that this person probably lived in one of these buildings, and the garbage bag he held on one hand told the omega that he was mostly certain in the middle of the routine of putting the garbage away before going to work.

And Yaku was just found out in the middle of it.

Yaku held his breath again and remained still, not getting his eyes away from the beta as the other looked around as if seeing if anyone else was about to pop around the corner and find them. He was already entertaining the idea of erasing the guy’s mind when the other spoke again.

“Look, I wouldn’t stay around here if I were you.” the guy said and took another couple steps inside the alley. “The garbage truck hasn’t come in a while, so they probably will pop up today or so, and they won’t be happy to find you here.” Then he looked at Yaku’s old clothes hanging around his thin body. “You came from the Pit, didn’t you?” he asked in a low voice.

Yaku growled but did not answer. He had heard the guards on the fence referring to Sector C as the Pit before, and it enraged him to no end. Sure, the place was not nice, but it was still the only home he ever knew, especially in the inwards where the elders were.

The man held his hands up in an attempt to sooth his nerves. “Hey, I'm not a threat to you, I just came to throw this away.” He showed the garbage bag in his hand and put it on the ground near the others.

Yaku still said nothing, just following the beta’s movement without breaking his defensive stance. The blond man took another look at him and sighed before fixing his glasses with one hand and speaking again.

“Hey, I can’t do much for you other than suggest you go back to wherever you came from. People are about to leave home for work and the streets have been full of militaries and police officers these days, I don’t think it’s safe for you here.” the blond then opened his bag and retrieved a package from inside, like a small container bundled with a cloth with a knot on the top. “Here, take this.” he reached out the container to the omega.

Yaku frowned annoyed when the slim smell of food came to his nose. The man was looking at him with a blank face, not approaching anymore but still waiting for him to take the container. He wasn’t showing a pity expression toward the omega, but that doesn't mean he couldn’t be feeling it.

After seeing no movements from Yaku, the beta blond sighed again. “I am not pitying you if that’s what you’re thinking.” he said and slowly put the container on the ground. “I need to go to work now, and probably you should go away too. If you don’t want it, at least take it to someone that may need it more than us.” he added with a motion toward the food, turning around and leaving the alley without looking back.

Yaku waited for a moment to be sure the beta’s presence had completely disappeared. Then he sighed again and pinched between his eyes while shaking his head.

_“Well, look at this, you’re still alive.”_ his mother’s voice said. _“Ready to go home now?”_

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” Yaku said and finished opening the sewer passage.

“Meow!” came the sound again when he was about to jump inside the sewer. The cat had jumped down to the ground again and went to the package the beta had left, sniffing it and then grabbing it with its mouth to bring it back toward Yaku. The omega took the container from the cat and pet the feline’s head, earning a purr in response as its tail kept moving from side to side.

“Well… time to go.” Yaku said with a sigh after looking at the package. It would be petty of him to let it go to waste when there are so many people hungry out there, himself included. Therefore, he resigned himself on holding it against his chest with a hand, stepping down the sewer’s stairs and putting the cover back into place with the other, taking one last glance outside and realizing that the cat was nowhere to be seen.

Yaku made his way back to Sector C in silence, his mind running around every possible outcome of this failed escape attempt. He needed to calm himself, otherwise his chance of meeting his friends again will definitely slip from his hands forever. He sighed one last time when he found himself back into the sector’s fences, taking a last look toward the alley far from where he was now. He then looked at the small package in his hands and decided to open it later in the evening, since he was more tired than starved right now, so he walked back to the alley where he had woken up earlier to try to get some sleep again. When he turned the last corner to it though, a new movement caught his attention. 

Inside the alley, he saw a boy searching around a small dumpster, an old man holding the cover for him to look inside. They both jumped scared when they noticed Yaku’s presence, taking some steps back into the shadow of the building. Yaku sighed again and looked down to his hand, then he untied the knot onto the cloth of the container he was holding, taking the cover off and looking at the food inside. Everything was neatly organized, and he could see the rice and the eggs, with some vegetables in the corner. The smell was heavenly and Yaku smiled as he noticed the boy’s eyes widening, knowing that they had smelled it too. He walked towards them and held the container to them both, smiling again when the old man slowly took it from his hands and gave it to the boy that was now smiling brightly.

“Thank you, my son.” the man said to him with his eyes wet.

“No worries Sir.” Yaku smiled at him and messed with the boy’s hair, earning a giggle back from the child. “It’s not much, so eat it now before someone else comes to take it from you.”

The man nodded and thanked him again as Yaku turned around to walk away from the alley, the sun hit warm against his face and he blinked for a moment. Those two just reminded him of his own childhood with Keiji, and then the years after Yahaba came to their lives, hovering around dumpsters inside alleys, holding covers, cloths and doors while one of them looked for food. Keeping each other safe, making sure they all survived.

Yaku sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time this morning, feeling the longing for the others inside his heart. He sent one last call through their bond, not with words exactly and more like the intention of a promise, a grounding feeling to tell his friends that he is still there, and that they will meet again. Then he kept walking in search of a new spot with shadows available for him to sleep for a while, waiting for the moment he would finally leave this sector to go be with his family again, hoping that somehow Keiji would answer his call to reassure him that he was also still there.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 13th - 10:00am - Sentinel’s Convoy

“And that’s why Mad-Dog said it would be better for us to make a cover story that kept Keiji and Yahaba off the scene with the telepath.” Bokuto finished telling the story of what happened in the woods earlier, Kyoutani nodding in agreement as the others took in all the information. 

They were back at the farm now after dismantling the parking spot back at the clearing and cataloging all the scenes to go with the official report. Soon after Kyoutani had back into the woods to help Oikawa and Iwaizumi catalog the scene and move the rebels’ bodies, the other small truck with the backup sentinels got to the clearing and Daichi got everyone to work as fast as they could. A beta nurse had come along and took care of Asahi’s wounds, saying that he would be all right if he remained resting, bandaging him properly and hooking him with a blood bag that they had stored in the medical truck’s freezer for emergencies. 

Other than the alpha doctor, Keiji and Yahaba were the next ones in need of assistance, but Yahaba growled at the nurse that tried to approach them, saying that they would only take medical care from the alpha doctor himself. The nurse had scowled at him and walked away angry to go tend to Kageyama and Hinata’s cuts and bruising, as well as the other omegas that had been inside the store during the attack. When the beta was out of earshot, Yahaba said that he didn’t want anyone else seeing Keiji’s eyes or taking note of his appearance. 

Bokuto understood that and took upon himself to explain to his friends that the telepath had said that the government was somehow looking for a blue-eyed omega, and Asahi also added to the story saying that the rebels had asked for Keiji specifically. Therefore, after that, Sugawara was the one to examine Keiji with Asahi’s guidance from where he was laid on the truck’s stretcher, getting to the conclusion that the omega had a concussion and taking the necessary precautions before giving permission for Keiji to rest. Rin tended to Yahaba’s wounds with Kenma’s help, and after that they all left a breath in relief that everyone was going to be fine for now.

Bokuto didn’t tell his friends the whole ordeal until they were reunited away from wandering ears. They had much to do in that small camp and it took them a couple hours to assemble everything and also retrieve the bodies of the sentinels killed in the second roadblock. By the time they were ready to move everyone to the farm, Kyoutani came back with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, as well as the rebels they got in the woods. They had prisoners too, and that had yet to be dealt with along with the ones captured in the farm, so when everything was ready, Daichi gave the order to move the whole convoy to the farm they attacked, since the place was much easier to keep a safety perimeter than that freaking clearing.

Since the beta nurses usually have access to the medical truck, as well as anyone that needs some kind of attention goes there first, Bokuto got Keiji and Yahaba in the fourth truck he was driving now since Kuroo took the medical one. Once in the farm, the alpha took a look at the omegas to see both sleeping soundly, Keiji lying full on the back seat while Yahaba dozed off against the window on the passenger side. He smiled at the scene before slightly touching Yahaba’s shoulder to wake him up in order to tell him that he was going to lock the truck’s cabin so no one would bother them, proceeding to show the omega how to lay back the passenger seat so the other could sleep better.

After one last look at them, and also covering them with his and Kuroo’s blankets they left in the cabin, Bokuto left the truck to go gather with his friends by the medical vehicle, never leaving the fourth truck out of sight though. Once there and after Daichi gave orders to everyone else to move with tasks around the farm, their close pack could safely talk about everything that happened. They all listened and gave ideas about how to better the cover story, especially since Daichi still had to write and send the official report, and that would determine if their squad would get out of this situation unscathed.

“And you guys are sure you got everyone that was in the woods with the telepath?” Daichi asked.

“Yes.” Kyoutani said. “There was the blond bastard and five others. Three we killed and two are among the other prisoners.”

“And what about the evidence you collected on the scene?” Daichi looked at Iwaizumi.

“Got blood samples from near the rebels’ bodies and messed up the spots where Keiji and Yahaba were, scooped sand that was mixed with their blood and discarded it on a small stream nearby.” Iwaizumi said, explaining how they made sure to leave the two omegas’ evidence away from their official cataloged things. “And Kyoutani went back through the path they took to clean the blood they left in the way.”

“What about the car Yahaba said Keiji was driving before they got knocked out of the road?” Sugawara asked.

“Burned it.” Kyoutani answered. “By the way that thing was, no one can say it didn’t burn because of the accident. I started the fire with the electrical circuit inside the engine, just in case.”

“So I guess the only loop ends now are the survivors that heard about a blue-eyed omega?” Kuroo stated and Kenma nodded by his side, his head swirling with the possible breaches in their story.

“That includes both the prisoners and our own people, since everyone in the clearing must have heard the rebels asking for Keiji to go with them while the store was being targeted.” Kenma said. “Would the commander want to interrogate the squad to make sure the story on the report is real?”

“They can do it, but they usually don’t question the guides, just the sentinels.” Daichi answered with a frown.

“Rin won’t tell anything if I ask her.” Asahi said from his stretcher inside the truck that had the doors open so he could be a part of the conversation right outside.

“That leaves us with Hinata and Kageyama who were close to you guys at the time.” Sugawara pondered. “I can talk to Hinata and explain to him that Keiji needs to stay off records, I believe he’ll do it fine, he likes them too.”

Daichi nodded. “Alright, I’ll talk to Kageyama then. He is a good soldier and he knows that somehow Keiji helped with them survive the attack. I don’t believe he will out him to the commander.”

“Well if anyone says anything I’ll just grab Keiji and Yahaba and run away at the spot.” Bokuto said and noticed Kyoutani frowning, but the blond alpha remained quiet.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that.” Daichi sighed. “Now we have to talk to the prisoners to know exactly what-”

The captain’s line was cut when they suddenly heard the noise of a helicopter in the distance, the sound growing stronger and louder as it approached fast. Then before they could say anything else, a call came through their mission line on the radio.

_“Squad IV, Squad IV, this is Army One approaching your position. Over.”_

“Shit!” Oikawa cursed. “Why is there a chopper from Tokyo’s Army coming here!?”

“Dang, now we’re screwed.” Kuroo added.

Daichi held a hand up for silence before answering the radio. “This is Squad IV’s Captain Sawamura Daichi. Proceed Army One.”

 _“Greetings Captain Sawamura, we have orders to land in the field by your position. Reaching the point in five.”_ came the reply.

“Understood Army One, proceed with the landing.” Daichi said and then cursed out loud after exiting the line. “Dammit, we don’t have time for this now!”

“Do you think the commander is there?” Sugawara asked.

“Maybe. But it’s either him or someone he sent. Bad for us all the same.” Daichi answered and then they all saw the big military chopper flying above their heads and aiming to the farm’s open field to initiate its descent.

Bokuto felt a spark of anxiety rising inside himself. He looked at the chopper at one end of the farm and then to the truck he left Keiji and Yahaba inside. Could the commander be here for Keiji? Should he just run back to the truck and drive it away with the omegas to be ahead of the threat? The questions kept coming one after the other and he ended up taking the truck’s keys out of his pocket, gripping them hard enough to hurt the palm of his hand.

“Bokuto!” Kenma’s voice came to his ears and he looked down to see the omega’s hands cradling his fisted hand gently, fingers trying to open the hand before the keys could draw blood from it. “Ease up, take a deep breath. We don’t know if they're here for them yet.” Kenma said when he locked eyes with Bokuto.

“Kenma’s right, no report was sent yet, so there’s no reason to believe they’re here for Keiji.” Iwaizumi said, putting a hand on Bokuto’s back to try calming him down. “If you get too worked up that could get their attention and our cover will be blown even before we put it in place, though.”

Bokuto took a deep breath at his friends’ arguments. He knew they were right. “Right, sorry. I’ll keep calm.” he added as he opened his hand again and put the keys in his pocket again. The chopper was now halfway down to the ground.

“Alright, this is what we’ll do.” Daichi said to get everyone’s attention. “First, everyone get out of line 4, I don’t want anyone to suspect we’re communicating through the radio while whoever came on that helicopter is here.” he said and they all turned the radios off. “Now, I’ll go meet our guests and find out what they’re here for. In the meantime you guys try to find out what everyone else might know about the telepath’s intentions about Keiji.”

“And how exactly are we going to do that?” Oikawa asked with a frown.

“Intimidation, deal offer, persuasion. I don’t care.” Daichi told him. “You and Kyoutani will go to the prisoners, especially the two that were in the clearing with the telepath, and find out what they know. Depending on that information, we’ll try to get them as far away from the official record as we can.” he sighed before adding. “Just don’t let them notice our interest in the whole “blue-eyed omega” ordeal. And try to not compromise yourselves or the squad, make it look like you only have the army’s interest at mind.”

“I think we can make up something.” Oikawa smirked with a dark look while Kyoutani grunted while nodding.

“Good, I’ll try to buy you guys some time.” Daichi said before turning toward Iwaizumi. “Iwa, you go find Kageyama and talk to him about leaving Keiji out of any statement he may need to give.”

“Wait, wouldn’t it be better if Iwa goes with the other two?” Sugawara asked and then looked at Iwaizumi. “You can already tell when people are lying, can’t you? Tooru and Mad-Dog will need that to make sure nothing gets behind. I would go, but people might suspect having an omega around during an interrogation, you on the other hand, is a sentinel.”

Iwaizumi frowned but nodded anyway, a little surprised that Sugawara already knew that about him. Sure, he couldn’t read people’s minds, but something just bugged the back of his head whenever someone lied in front of him.

“I don’t know if I can actually tell, it’s just an odd feeling.” Iwaizumi said with doubt.

“That’s exactly what you need to focus on. When people lie their mind space changes somehow, and someone without a good mind-shield ends up letting it show in their presence.” Kenma said and noticed a bunch of confused looks turning toward him, he sighed before continuing. “I’ll show you. Kuro, tell us a lie.”

“Earth is flat and the One Piece is hidden in the moon.” Kuroo said without a blink, to which Sugawara snorted and the others frowned.

“Okay… but Kuroo-chan was always a good liar.” Oikawa said and Kuroo smirked at him.

“Yes, but Hajime will notice the difference after I ease Kuro’s mind-shield.” Kenma said and held one of Kuroo’s hands, then he looked back at Iwaizumi as he spoke again. “Now Kuro, how do we get the One Piece?”

“There’s a milky road that shows up to the pure-hearted at the edge of the earth that leads the boats toward the moon. But you can only get to the treasure’s location if you hit the road at the exact time the winter solstice begins in the North Pole. Otherwise you get burned by one of Saturn's space rings before landing on the moon.” Kuroo spoke again with the certainty of the world and the others blinked at him.

“Wait, I’m confused… Why a milky road?” Bokuto asked while scratching his head, Kyoutani scowled equally lost.

“Dang Roaster head! I’ll never believe a word that comes out of your mouth ever again!” Oikawa frowned at the raven alpha and Kuroo’s smirk grew impossibly larger.

“Alright, we got the point, he is a great liar. Now what?” Daichi asked.

“I think Iwa can answer that.” Sugawara smirked toward Iwaizumi as the other was looking at Kenma with wide eyes.

“You felt it, didn’t you?” Kenma asked.

“Yeah… it was kind of weird.” Iwaizumi said slowly.

“Kitten! I’m feeling exposed now!” Kuroo winned.

“It is weird, but useful.” Kenma told Iwaizumi, completely ignoring his mate’s winning, although he didn’t let go of the alpha’s hand until the mental shield was back in place.

“So what? Iwa-chan’s a lie detector now?” Oikawa asked.

“Yes! And a pretty good one that won’t raise any suspicious.” Sugawara said.

“Alright, let’s just move on with this option then.” Daichi said as he looked back at the chopper that was almost touching the ground now. “I have to go meet whoever’s in there. I’ll try to buy you guys as much time as I can, but be fast.” he added toward Iwaizumi who nodded and called for Oikawa and Kyoutani to go for the prisoners, the three walking away immediately.

“You want me to talk to Kageyama?” Sugawara asked.

“Let me do it.” Asahi’s voice came from inside the medical truck and they all turned to look at him. The alpha was holding himself on one elbow to look at his friends, looking tired but still alert enough. “Kageyama was a good backup at the clearing, I think he will listen to me if I tell him that Daichi wants to make things clear in the report before anything.” he said.

“Are you sure you’re in shape for it? You should be resting now.” Daichi asked.

“I’m fine, I’ll rest after this is dealt with.” Asahi said, waving a hand in the air to dismiss any concern. “Tell him to come here Suga, and please send Rin as well.”

Sugawara nodded and looked back at his mate to see if he was in agreement with the plan. “Alright then.” Daichi sighed and looked at the omega. “Tell Kageyama that I ordered him to report at Asahi here, then you go talk to Hinata and also meet with the other omegas. See what they all know.” Sugawara nodded again and walked away, Daichi then turned around and began to walk toward the chopper that just landed.

“Wait!” Kenma called for the captain and the alpha stopped his walk. “Take Kuro with you.”

“What for?” Daichi and Kuroo ended up asking at the same time.

“Like you said, we cannot use the radios to communicate with each other without raising suspicion.” Kenma explained. “I’ll stay with Bokuto to watch over Keiji and Yahaba, and if anyone asks for them directly Kuro will be able to tell me through our bond.”

“Then I get them out at the spot.” Bokuto said after Kenma’s plan made sense inside his brain. “I don’t exactly need to run away, but maybe hide them better.”

“Fine, just don’t run away into the woods before we’re sure they're in danger.” Daichi pointed a finger at Bokuto before turning around and motioning for Kuroo to follow. “Read to play my assistant?” the captain smirked as he walked.

“Sawamura, please.” Kuroo put a hand over his heart and spoke sarcastically as he walked alongside the captain. “It is my mate’s plan, clearly you’re the one assisting me.”

Bokuto and Kenma watched as the two raven alphas walked toward the chopper from where a bunch of soldiers were just stepping out, even from afar they could see that one distinguished himself from the others, tall and slender, but with a commanding posture that demanded respect from everyone around.

“It is not the commander.” Kenma said slowly. He couldn’t see who the man was from this distance, but the commander wasn’t as tall as this person, neither had black hair and slender frame.

“No.” Bokuto basically growled the reply and Kenma whipped his head around to look at him, noticing the golden eyes sparking with annoyance and a bit of anger. “It’s Sakusa.” he said.

“Tokyo’s Army’s captain?” Kenma said with wide eyes. “Why would the commander send him?” he asked while trying to piece things together. Technically Sakusa Kiyoomi was a sentinel squad’s captain just like Daichi, still subordinate to the army’s commanders, but since the Tokyo’s Army was the most prestigious military division in the country, their soldiers only engaged in missions directly linked to the government’s highest affairs.

“Don’t know, but I don’t like it.” Bokuto said and started to turn around and walk away. “Come on, let’s get back to the truck.”

Kenma nodded and followed, attention glued to his and Kuroo’s bond to not miss any warning that could come from the alpha. Kuroo and Daichi were now listening to Sakusa, and even if Kenma couldn’t hear it per say, his mate was letting some information travel through their bond.

“Looks like Sakusa was sent by our commander to assist the occupation on the farm.” Kenma said as he and Bokuto stopped by the fourth truck where Keiji and Yahaba were. They opted to go to the passenger’s side, so that the truck could stay between them and the rest of the farm, while the woods stood to their back. If anyone from the farm looked at their direction, the parked vehicle would be the only thing they would see. “He is asking for the mission status now.” Kenma added.

“Any mention of Keiji?” Bokuto asked.

“No, nothing this far.” Kenma said and they got silent for a moment, Bokuto pressing on his senses to be aware of any nearby threat while Kenma continued to focus on his bond. A couple minutes passed before the omega started talking again. “Now Sakusa’s asking why no report was sent yet… something about delaying a moving.” he trailed off.

“Moving?” Bokuto asked with a raised eyebrow. “What movi-” he cut his line when a sudden knock came by their side and both he and Kenma jumped scared. Bokuto whipped his head up and saw Yahaba looking at him from inside the truck’s cabin.

“Hey! Open up!” Yahaba said while pointing a finger toward the door, the omega’s voice muffled due to being inside with closed windows. He tapped his knuckles on the glass again for emphasis.

“Dammit, don’t scare me like that.” Kenma mumbled as Bokuto got the truck’s keys out his pocket and went to open the door, snorting when he heard his smaller friend complaining a little more while rubbing his chest on top of his throbbing heart. “Don’t laugh, you asshole, Kuroo might come back if he thinks that’s something wrong here.” the omega grumbled.

“Sorry, sorry. Just tell him I’m keeping my eyes on you as well.” Bokuto snorted again before looking up at Yahaba after opening the door. “Hey, is everything alright?” he asked the brunette.

“You tell me.” Yahaba said, not exiting the vehicle as he looked at the two outside. “I heard a helicopter earlier, what’s going on?”

“Some sentinels from the commander's office came.” Bokuto told him. “Captain is talking to the guy now, but we’re keeping track of it.”

Yahaba’s face darkened as he frowned slowly. “Are they here for Keiji already? Are you still safe?”

Bokuto was about to answer but Kenma spoke first. “I don’t think they know about him yet. Sakusa just gave Daichi a folder with orders for our squad to move back to the road, he and his men are now in charge of the farm. More from his squad are coming in another chopper that will be here in half an hour.”

“Wait! So the all mighty Tokyo’s Army will just take the target we secured during our mission and send us back into the damn road!?” Bokuto said angrily.

“Apparently so.” Kenma sighed. “And Sakusa is not pleased that Daichi hasn't written a report yet. As far as I heard from Kuroo, commander told Sakusa to come, read the report and inspect the place, then put us on our way to the base.”

“Well, Sakusa can kiss my ass for whatever he’s not pleased with.” Bokuto said and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Wait, that’s good news right? If they want the squad out, then they don't know about Keiji.” Yahaba said and Bokuto’s expression eased a little when he too realized that. “Then what are we waiting for? Tell your captain to just move along so we can hit the road!” the omega added.

“It’s not that simple, Daichi will be making the report and walking with Sakusa through the inspection before handing him the place.” Kenma said with a sigh. “We can’t rush this and risk getting attention. I think if we lay low and keep Keiji hidden for the next hour then there’s nothing to make them suspicious of-” then he stopped talking suddenly and his eyes widened in terror.

“What!?” Bokuto and Yahaba asked at the same time, fear and apprehension filling their tones.

“The- the drawings…” Kenma looked toward Bokuto. “The drawings in the barn! They can’t find it!”

Bokuto’s eyes widened in realization and that only concerned Yahaba more. “What drawings?” the omega asked.

“The drawings of Keiji the telepath did before we got here.” Bokuto answered. “We found a bunch of them, all half-finished, but clearly it shows the guy was trying to get his mind to work on Keiji’s face. Until he finished one with the blue eyes.” then he snapped his attention back to Kenma. “Did you leave that one at the barn?” he asked in a hurry.

“No, that one is in Kuroo’s pocket.” he said nodding his head, brain working on other possibilities. “But the half-finished ones are still there. I planned to go back to retrieve them later, but I haven’t had the time. If Sakusa takes them to the commander's office they will see that the telepath was working on finding someone. Even if they don’t have the finished one, they’ll know that something got the rebel’s attention, then they’ll ask themselves if he had found anyone or not.”

“They’ll get suspicious if Keiji is around.” Yahaba nodded in understanding before sighing resigned. “Where’s the barn?” he asked.

Bokuto blinked confused. “It’s that big red thing over there.” he pointed to the other side and Yahaba looked back over his own shoulders toward the farm’s buildings. The omega then nodded again and jumped out of the truck’s cabin.

“Alright, let’s go then.” Yahaba said and looked at Bokuto. “Lock the truck again while we’re gone.”

“Gone!?” Bokuto screeched and Kenma elbowed him in the ribs. The alpha grumbled in pain before adding in a lower tone. “Where the hell do you think we’re going?” he asked Yahaba.

“Clearly we’re going to get those drawings!” Yahaba said back, both hands on his hips. “If they can reveal Keiji’s presence to the military, then we have to get them before someone else does!”

“We can’t get inside the barn now.” Kenma looked at Yahaba. “We’re omegas, we have no business near a place full of evidence. If someone sees us and talks with Sakusa, he’ll immediately know that something is off.” he crossed his arms and put one hand under his chin in thought. “Thinking about it, even if Bokuto gets inside now it will be suspicious. Who is watching the barn?” he added the question toward the alpha.

“Hojo.” Bokuto said as he stood on the truck’s cabin’s step to look across the window on the other side and toward the barn, seeing the sentinel that was on watch in front of the big wooden door. “Dang, the guy doesn't like me. He’ll rat us out first opportunity he gets.”

“Does it only have one entrance?” Yahaba asked.

“Yes.” Bokuto answered. “Only one door at least. Although I remember feeling a small breeze inside when we got there earlier.” he added thoughtfully.

“What, do you think there may be a window? I didn’t see one, though.” Kenma asked. “But actually there were so many things hanging on the wall… maybe some of it was covering it or something?”

“Well, won’t hurt to check it out, let’s take a look at the back.” Yahaba said.

“Wait! What about Keiji?” Bokuto asked toward Yahaba.

“That’s why I told you to lock the truck again.” the omega scowled at him. “He’s still sleeping, and mumbling through it too, so he’s probably having a nightmare. Let’s go before he wakes up screaming without us here.”

Bokuto blinked and looked back inside the truck, moving his head to be able to look at the raven omega asleep in the backseat. Keiji was indeed sleeping soundly, but a frown came to his eyes before he mumbled words Bokuto did not catch, then his expression went back to normal again. The alpha got out of the truck’s step but heard another small mumbling before fully closing and locking the door again.

“Does he usually have nightmares?” Bokuto asked Yahaba with a small voice and a lump inside his throat. He did not like the idea of Keiji being assaulted by scary things all the time, even during his sleep where he should be safe and sound.

“Ever since I met him.” Yahaba said before he could catch himself. “But that’s not my place to say, let’s just go before this whole thing gets even more out of hand.” he added pissed at himself before starting to walk away.

“Wait! Let Bokuto walk ahead of us!” Kenma said as he reached a hand to hold Yahaba’s arm. “He’s a sentinel, if anyone sees us, they’ll just think he is taking us to work on something.”

Yahaba scowled angrily at Kenma but Bokuto gave a small embarrassed chuckle before speaking toward the brunette. “Sorry, but he is right, though. Less suspicious this way.” he scratched the back of his head.

Yahaba scowled at the alpha this time and grumbled an _‘I hate this place’_ before motioning for Bokuto to walk first, then he followed with Kenma by his side. The three of them left the line of the trucks and walked by the edge of the perimeter to try not getting much attention, with Bokuto walking ahead while Kenma kept his head down and got the last information from his mate. With his peripheral vision, the alpha could see where Kuroo and Daichi were still talking to Sakusa, none seemed to notice the three of them yet.

“How’s your leg?” Kenma asked Yahaba in a low voice.

“Fine now, I told you guys it was just a scratch.” he answered as they walked, truly not limping anymore after his wound was bandaged and the small nap he took. “But I guess the pain killer you got me helped as well, so thank you for that.” he added.

Kenma nodded back at him before turning his attention to Bokuto again. “Kuro said that Sakusa wants to do the inspection now.” he mumbled, sure that Bokuto would listen perfectly with his enhanced hearing.

“Tell him to suggest for them to go to the house first.” Bokuto whispered back after he passed by two sentinels in patrol, waiting for the men to be far enough. “There’s a couple of military machine guns on the second floor that might get Sakusa’s attention.”

Kenma nodded and not a minute later Bokuto saw Kuroo pointing toward the house, showing it with stretched arms full of motion, successfully getting Sakusa’s and even Daichi’s attention toward it. Bokuto took that as a chance to speed up his walking toward the back of the barn, fully stopping behind the building after scanning around to make sure they were alone between the big red construction and the line of the trees.

“Alright, so far so good.” Bokuto said before looking at Kenma again. “Did he take the bait?”

“Yes, Kuro’s leading them toward the house now. He’ll try to buy us some time.” the omega said. “Although he wants to know why we want them away from the barn.”

“Didn’t you tell him?” Bokuto raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want an overprotective Kuro on your throat for bringing me to a place full of evidence while the Tokyo’s Army’s captain is around?” Kenma scowled back at Bokuto. “He is suspicious, but it’s better if we leave it at that for now.”

“Right… good point.” Bokuto chuckled nervously again, imagining all the hell Kuroo would have stored for him later.

“Hey! Less talk and more action!” Yahaba said to get the other’s attention. “Come on big guy, give me a lift!”

“A lift where? Wait-” Bokuto started to ask but Yahaba was already pulling him down by the shoulder, making the alpha half squat down and stepping onto his left thigh to lift himself up. Bokuto wobbled surprised but steadied himself enough to not fall while Yahaba simply climbed onto the alpha’s back and stood up onto his shoulder. “Hey dude! Warn a guy before using him as a stairway!”

“Don’t be a baby and get me to the window!” Yahaba said from above.

“What window?” Bokuto asked and looked up to where Yahaba was pointing. There was indeed a half open window in the back of the barn, a little high from the ground and not much big, but apparently large enough to allow them to enter. Problem was, it didn’t look like a window you could fully open, more like those types where only sections of it would move to let the wind get inside. “Oh dang… I don’t think this is gonna work…” Bokuto said after analyzing the opening, but he stood up anyway and walked closer to it, all while having Yahaba standing on his shoulder as he held onto the omega’s shins so he would not fall.

The window was high enough from the ground to be above their heads, but not as high to make them need a stair or a hope. Standing onto Bokuto’s shoulders, Yahaba had the opening right in front of his face, and this way he could notice the old screws that kept it in place, as well as the rusty bars and dirty glass.

“What are the chances that no one will hear us if I just break this?” Yahaba asked while looking down at the other two.

“None.” both Bokuto and Kenma answered in the same blank tone.

“Alright, so we’re going to have to do it the long way.” Yahaba sighed and looked back at the window, touching the edges and pulling against the bars to test it. “Thing is old as hell, I think I can get it out. Do you have a pocket knife?” he asked.

“Yeah! Kenma, my leg pocket!” Bokuto said and Kenma moved to retrieve the folded knife and passed it to Yahaba.

“How do you know how to manage this?” Kenma asked curiously as he watched Yahaba picking and removing screw after screw from the old window.

“Do you think this is the worst window I faced?” Yahaba snorted a chuckle. “You wouldn’t imagine how many different types of window there are in Sector C. Some almost killed us a few times, though. Always know a window before running into it!” he added with a found smile and Kenma shared a sad look with Bokuto, both of them only imagining the many circumstances that could make someone run into a window.

“How are things with Kuroo?” Bokuto asked after watching Yahaba working for a minute.

Kenma chuckled. “He’s making a show at describing how you guys entered the house this morning. I think Sakusa is going to arrest him if he takes any longer to get to the second floor.”

Bokuto chuckled too before hearing Yahaba left a small _‘Done!’_ , then he looked up and saw the omega folding the knife again and putting it in his own pocket before holding the window’s bars with both hands and pulling it toward himself. The structure moved on the second try and Bokuto had to hold higher at Yahaba’s thighs and take a couple steps back to steady them so the omega wouldn’t fall to the ground. Yahaba eased the window down and passed it to Kenma who got it with a _oof_ and lowered it slowly to the ground. Yahaba then motioned for Bokuto to get closer to the building again and looked inside the opened space, noticing that he was now staring at the back of an old blackboard, similar to the ones used in schools.

“Damn, haven’t seen one of those in years.” Yahaba said fondly.

“What are the chances of Hojo hearing us enter?” Kenma asked Bokuto while Yahaba looked inside.

“Hojo?” Bokuto cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t recall him having enhanced hearing but-” he cut his line when suddenly the feet on his shoulders pushed down before disappearing altogether, then he looked up and saw that Yahaba had boosted himself up and through the open passage. “Yahaba!” Bokuto screeched and tried to hold the omega’s legs that were kicking the air to aid the movement as he slipped inside the barn.

Bokuto did not manage to get Yahaba’s legs and watched in horror as the omega disappeared through the passage. Kenma had a similar horrified expression on his face, and they both waited a moment to hear if someone else had noticed the whole ordeal. After no new sound came, Kenma sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly.

“I don’t think Hojo has enhanced hearing.” Kenma said.

“You think!?” Bokuto shout-whispered as he pointed up toward the opening. “To me it seemed like a herd of elephants was wrecking the place!”

“That’s because you have good hearing.” Kenma sighed before motioning for Bokuto to squat down. “Come on, help me get there too.”

Bokuto gave Kenma a hand and helped him climb onto his shoulders, then he gave a lift with his hands on the omega’s feet to help him up through the open window. Kenma made less noise then Yahaba had, but still Bokuto thought that Hojo might be deaf to not hear this. He then took a few steps backwards to give himself some distance before running and jumping toward the opening, strong hands holding onto it and boosting himself up and inside. His enhanced touch and years of training allowed him to do the whole movement in no longer than a few seconds, as silent as a skilled feline.

“Show off.” Kenma mumbled as Bokuto landed beside him inside the barn.

“Glad you guys joined.” Yahaba whispered sarcastically. He had pushed the blackboard from the wall they entered from and was looking around for the said drawings. “Where are they?” he asked Kenma.

“Upstairs.” Kenma said and pointed up, walking toward the stairs and going up slowly so that the wood would not make noise under his feet. Yahaba did the same as Bokuto went first to the barn’s big doors to make sure the sentinel in duty was still unfazed outside. Through some small cracks between the door and the wall where it was fixed he could see the man outside, looking bored as if nothing was happening around him. The gray haired then shook his head and walked back toward the omegas that were now sorting through the papers on the table in the upper level.

“Remind me of telling Daichi that Hojo is definitely the worst choice for watch duty.” Bokuto told Kenma when he got to them. “I’m not even sure if he’s just plain stupid or he doesn’t even care at all.” he sighed with the hands on his hips.

“Well, no wonder we keep getting attacked these days.” Kenma said back to him and Bokuto only huffed. “But this is our lucky strike today, at least we can get these papers.”

“And for all hell, I’m glad we came.” Yahaba said and the others looked toward him. “Are these all about Keiji?” he asked while holding a bunch of sketches up.

“Yes.” Kenma said. “We believe he did these after the first attack at the camp, when he first felt Keiji’s presence. He probably came here to try searching his own mind for an answer and ended up drawing to make sense of things.”

“And you believe the sketches can give people the same idea? About Keiji being with us, I mean.” Bokuto asked, for him everything looked like simple drawings scattered around, not seeing how to make a connection without the last one that was already secured with Kuroo.

“Yes, they would definitely make a connection.” Kenma nodded. “This all shows that he was searching for someone.”

Bokuto made a skeptical expression but Yahaba was the one to push the point further. “He’s right. If what that bastard told us is anything to go by, there are people already looking for Keiji. These sketches would instigate the suspicious about him being near.”

“This suspicion could be enough to make them look further into it.” Kenma nodded again, happy that someone else was seeing things by his perspective. “It would be a matter of time before they came to investigate the squad, since we were around the same time the telepathy was here.”

“Alright, if you guys say so, I’m not arguing.” Bokuto raises his hands in the air in surrender as Yahaba begins to stuff the drawings inside his clothes. “Let’s just move on before someone comes-” then he shut his mouth and got a dark expression on his face, focusing on something far from there.

“What?” Yahaba asked and Kenma also looked concerned. They got quiet when Bokuto raised a finger, asking for silence.

The alpha fixed his attention on the outside, forcing his hearing to travel beyond the barn's walls. Then a breeze hit on the outside and brought new scents toward them through the small cracks in the wooden walls. Bokuto recognized Hojo’s scent, but now somehow more alert than before, with a dip of apprehension mixed as if the other alpha had just seen something outside, and if the deep breath the sentinel took was anything to go by, whatever it was, was on its way toward them. The final confirmation was the distant noise of steps leaving the house’s porch, the creaks of the wood sending the alarm directly to Bokuto’s brain.

“Sakusa’s coming!” Bokuto and Kenma said at the same time, the black haired omega just getting the alert from his mate.

“Dammit! I wanted to see if there was anything else around here!” Yahaba said as he stuffed another bunch of paper inside his shirt.

“No time anymore, we have to go!” Bokuto said and motioned for them to move. Kenma reacted instantly and rushed down the stairs as quiet as he could.

“Wait! Maybe there’s something inside these boxes-” Yahaba started to say but was cut when Bokuto grumbled a _‘no time!’_ and simply circled an arm around the omega that was crouching to open some boxes on the floor, lifting him up and running down the stairs with him.

Bokuto could now hear clearly the steps on the dirt ground coming from the outside, but he could not exactly say how long Sakusa would take to get there. He ran to the open window they came from with Yahaba under his arm and simply lifted him up toward the passage. The brunette held onto the opening to boost himself through it, but Bokuto hurried the movement and pushed the other faster, biting his lip when he heard Yahaba landing with an _oof!_ on the outside.

“Don’t wait for me! Get Yahaba back to Keiji’s truck and stay out of sight.” Bokuto whispered to Kenma as he turned to take him up on the passage too, boosting him up and hearing a similar _‘thump’_ sound when the smaller omega landed outside, followed by their rushed steps while getting away from the barn.

Bokuto heard as Hojo greeted the newcomers outside, answering Daichi’s questions about letting no one inside the barn in their absence. He clenched his teeth as he jumped up and held onto the window flexing his arms and getting his body on top of the passage, still having to reach a hand back to pull the blackboard back in place. He jumped to the outside the same moment the barn’s door was being opened on the other end, landing as quietly as possible and hurriedly moving to walk away in the opposite direction to the trucks, so if anyone would follow, they wouldn't get to the omegas.

He walked a little further away from the barn until he got to one of the farm’s old fallen fences, putting one foot onto it and pretending to be tying a lace on his boot. From this distance, no one could actually tell he had been around the red building, neither that he was in fact trying to eavesdropping the talking going on inside of it. The good part of knowing how to use enhanced senses was that Bokuto could willingly numb some of it in order to boost another, as well focusing exactly in a specific place at a time if he so wanted. The down part is that this kind of stunt usually takes a lot from the person, especially when said person doesn’t have a guide to balance the wellbeing of his mind and body.

But Bokuto was too concerned with the omega’s wellbeing now to care about the repercussions of his own actions. He needed to know exactly what Sakusa wanted, as well as anything the other alpha must be suspicious about, for this information could be the key to keep all his friends safe. So he closed his eyes and shut down his touch and taste senses, focusing everything on his hearing and smell, then directing it to anything coming from the barn’s direction.

As he focused on the task, he first felt all the noises and scents from around him disappearing as his mind provided him the image of a lonely path surrounded by nothing, like a straight line in the middle of a black-painted canvas, with him standing in an end while the barn stood in the other. From there he first heard as Hojo changed his body weight from one foot to the other, as well as the slight distressed scent caused by the nervousness of Sakusa’s appearance. As soon as he pinpointed Hojo’s emotions, he tossed it all to the side, focusing solely on everything that came from the men inside the building.

Bokuto first heard their talk. Sakusa asked why there was a breeze entering the place and where it was coming from, and Bokuto smiled as he heard Kuroo answering it in a heartbeat, saying that they saw earlier that the barn had also an open window that the rebels apparently put a blackboard in front of. Bokuto thanked all heavens for his friend being a good liar, also knowing that Kenma had probably already warned his mate about the stunt they just pulled, this way preparing Kuroo for anything Sakusa could ask about that.

Bokuto continued listening as Sakusa grunted in response to that but ended up letting it go, but it did not keep him from leaving an annoyed scent as he walked around the place. As for the others, Kuroo was letting the slightest nervous scent in the air, so weak that Bokuto only noticed it because of their years of friendship, being able to track his friend’s emotions even when the raven’s tone and expression hid it so well. And from Daichi he could smell nervousness, annoyance and most of all anger altogether, thinking now that their captain could really use some vacation time since he wasn’t even trying to pretend that he wasn’t pissed off by Sakusa’s arrival.

Bokuto doesn't actually know for how long he kept listening to the inspection around the barn. At first he wanted to just verify if Sakusa noticed anything that could show that someone had got inside and messed with the evidences, sighing in relief as nothing he heard or smelled showed that, but the others’ conversation suddenly went back onto the squad’s movement from the farm, so he decided to eavesdrop a little more.

“I believe I saw enough for now Captain Sawamura.” Bokuto heard Sakusa saying. “I’ll read about the rest of the mission in the report you’ll be writing before leaving for the base.”

Bokuto heard Daichi clenching his teeth and could only imagine how scary his expression might be at the moment. “Of course, Captain. I will have the report for the commander done in an hour. I’ll be sure to hand you a personal copy.” Daichi answered in a pissed off sarcastic tone that made Bokuto shiver suddenly.

“If I may be bold,” now it was Kuroo speaking, “why the Kyoto base? If our final destination is Fukuoka, isn’t it better to just let us go there with no more detours?” Bokuto frowned at that. Why the hell were they going to Kyoto!?

“It is not my business nor my care to meddle into the commander's way of doing things.” Sakusa said, annoyed. “The orders I brought says your squad will surrender this farm to me and move the convoy to the Sentinel Base in Kyoto. There you will stay as guests with the squad currently at the base until the others from your division that went to Nagoya arrive as well. Then a military plane shall take you to Fukuoka, so I suggest you stop asking questions and just move along with your orders.” he finished dismissively and Bokuto smelled Kuroo’s anger rising at the spot.

“Of course, Captain Sakusa.” Kuroo said with clear disdain. “And may I ask, who is to be our host in the Kyoto base?”

“Squad two.” it was Daichi that answered this time and Bokuto could swear he heard Kuroo’s breathing skipping for a second and then his angry scent skyrocketed. _Squad two?_ Bokuto thought. _What was the deal with this squad-_

_Oh! Oh yeah! Well, Kuroo really won’t be happy to meet-_

“What are you doing here, Bo-chan?” the voice sounded right beside his ear and Bokuto jumped so high that his feet literally left the ground. Suddenly everything rushed back and his senses were all over the place again, making the farm look too bright, too full and definitely too noisy.

“Oikawa!” Bokuto screeched when he recognized the brunette bastard that just gave him a heart attack, “The hell man! Warn a guy!”

“Screw yourself you rude asshole!” Oikawa said back as he put his hands in his hips. “Here I was all worried because you looked like you were sleeping on your feet. Again.”

“I wasn’t sleeping, I was busy!” Bokuto threw his hands in the air.

“Busy with what?” Oikawa asked with a raised eyebrow before his eyes widened. “Wait, were you focusing your hearing to spy on someth-” he was cut out when Bokuto jumped toward him to cover his mouth with both hands.

“Shhiiiii!!!” Bokuto shushed Oikawa while basically slapping the brunette in the face as he tried to silence him. “Not so loud!”

Oikawa batted Bokuto’s hands away from him. “I am not loud! Get back a hold of your senses so you can hear people properly!”

“Oh!” Bokuto said in understanding as he cradled his hands that Oikawa slapped against his chest, then he took a deep breath to try getting his senses back to fully normal. Or in any case, his “fully normal” that meant the everyday mess of senses giving him a headache, which was already pretty strong since the encounter with the telepath earlier, by the way. “Right, fine. Sorry.” he added after regaining a bit of control of himself.

“Good. Are you sure you’re fine?” Oikawa asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I can manage.” Bokuto waved a hand in dismissal. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be interrogating the prisoners?”

“I was, and I still understand how things can be both confusing and interesting at the same time.” Oikawa sighed and looked around. “I came back to see if I could get Daichi to tell him what we found out when I saw you all creepy around here. You know you’re not supposed to focus the enhancement without backup, it leaves you too open for closer attacks and your mind is unprotected.” he frowned at Bokuto.

“I know, I know. But I had to do it this time.” Bokuto rubbed between his eyes with a tired sigh, the headache was throbbing against his forehead. “Sakusa came with the chopper and now he wants to take the farm and send us to Kyoto and I need to know if he found something about Keiji and…” he started babbling and Oikawa raised his hands to stop him.

“Wait, wait, wait! Calm down Bo-chan, one bomb at a time.” Oikawa looked at him with wide eyes. “Sakusa was the one on the chopper? And why the hell he is here to take our prize?”

“I don’t know, Commander’s orders!” Bokuto dropped his arms dejected. “He just showed up demanding the report and saying that we need to get going to Kyoto to stay with the squad there before going to Fukuoka!”

“Who’s at Kyoto?” Oikawa raised an eyebrow.

“Squad two.” this time Bokuto smirked.

Oikawa left a bark of laughter and put an arm around Bokuto’s shoulder to motion them to walk back to the trucks. “Oh man, this road trip is looking so much like a shitty cliché movie.”

“Hunf, you tell me?” Bokuto chuckled and shook his head while walking with Oikawa, then something came to his mind and he frowned at his friend. “Wait, do you think Keiji ever watched a cliché movie?”

Oikawa snorted. “I always comes back to this with you, huh?” he shook his head fondly. “Don’t worry about movie nights for now and let’s talk about your mate with the others. Hajime and Kyou-ken went back to the trucks, we thought you would be there, after all.”

They walked together and Bokuto noticed that Oikawa didn’t take the arm off his shoulders until they were back to the trucks. He left a small smile as he thought that his friend was probably worried about him, to which he was grateful since he felt that his legs were indeed wobbling a bit. He didn’t have time to be unwell now though, he needed to stay sharp in case he needed to run away with Keiji and Yahaba. Besides, he could always take a nap to regain his energies when they depart to the road again.

Back at the line of the trucks and out of view from anyone else in the farm’s perimeter, they walked to the fourth vehicle where they found Iwaizumi and Kyoutani already together with Kenma and Yahaba. The omegas clothes looked messed up with dirt here and there, and Bokuto smelled a slight scent of blood from them. He frowned while approaching them all and heard the last of their conversation before speaking.

“Can’t I just burn them?” Yahaba asked as he showed the bunch of sketches they had collected at the barn.

“Not now, the smell of the smoke will warn people.” Iwaizumi told him. “Just keep it hidden for now and we’ll burn them later in a fireplace or something.” then they all looked up as Bokuto and Oikawa arrived near them.

“Where the hell were you? Weren’t you supposed to keep an eye at them?” Kyoutani barked at Bokuto while clearly pointing at Yahaba.

“Excuse you, I can watch myself!” Yahaba said annoyed and slapped the hand Kyoutani was pointing with. The alpha frowned at him and grumbled something under his breath that no one actually understood.

“And I was keeping an eye at them!” Bokuto defended himself.

Before they could start another fight, Iwaizumi raised a hand and silenced Kyoutani, Yahaba huffing in annoyance but also dropping it. Kenma just sighed and took a step toward Bokuto. “What took you so long? I was getting worried something had happened.”

However, before Bokuto could respond, Oikawa beat him to it. “He was using enhancement.”

Kenma’s eyes darkened so fast that Bokuto took a step back and left a scared _gulp_. “You were using what?” the omega said slowly with an angry voice. “Are you insane!? I haven’t had the time to rebuild your mind shield back after you faced the telepath! Do you really wanna die, you idiot piece of an alpha!?” he barked at the end.

“Kenma, please… someone will hear-” Bokuto tried to say with his hands in a soothing movement between them.

“To hell with anyone who might listen!” the omega said again and oh, if Kenma was using this language out in the open, then Bokuto was really screwed. “You know the risks of using it by yourself! You know the kind of overload it can start in your brain! I may not be able to help you if it happens again; you promised me you wouldn’t do that Koutarou!”

Kenma was really pissed this time and Bokuto could feel it in his bones. The omega panted after his outburst, looking tired and worn out but still very much angry, and Kuroo definitely caught that through their bond as well, so he would also be having an earful from the other alpha really soon. Bokuto knew Kenma was right, he knew he had promised to not use enhancement alone, to be careful and mindful of his senses, to take care of himself so his friends wouldn’t have to do it all the time. But still, lives were at stake there, and if Bokuto’s health was the price to pay for his friends to be safe, so be it.

“Look Kenma,” Bokuto started slowly after a moment, “I’m sorry that I worried and upset you, but I had to know if Sakusa had caught up to us back there. I needed to make sure we were in the clear as soon as possible, and even if that’s seem like stupid actions, I will not apologize for trying to keep my friends safe.”

“But I could tell you that!” Kenma argued. “Kuro’s there and he’s letting me know what’s Sakusa’s doing. I would tell you if something went wrong!”

“I know that, but this way you depend on what Kuroo tells you.” Bokuto said. “I needed to know at the spot, also, I had to make sure that Sakusa was convinced that the barn was untouched. He could be pretending in front of others, but if that was the case, his scent wouldn’t be able to fool me.”

The others frowned at that and Bokuto knew he made a good point. Sakusa could lie or pretend everything was fine, but with Bokuto enhancing his smell sense he could differ the slightest of scents that could indicate that someone was curious, suspicious or intrigued, even if those things would not be showing up in their faces or words.

After another moment of silence, Kenma sighed and shook his head with closed eyes. “Still, I don’t like that. You need to take better care of yourself, dumb owl.”

Bokuto gave a small smile at that. “I know Kenma, sorry to worry you.” he said again and the other just sighed again, then Bokuto continued. “Are you guys alright though? I can smell blood from you.”

“We’re fine, just some little scratches from when you threw us through the window.” Kenma said with a dismissive wave, then he frowned again. “Though we’re not actually bleeding. If you’re smelling the scratches then your sense is too strong now.”

Bokuto internally _gulped_ again before raising his hands. “I’m keeping it down, I promise! It just takes a while to get it fully back to normal, that’s all.”

Kenma scowled and punched Bokuto’s upper arm while mumbling another _‘stupid owl’_ , making the alpha whine while rubbing his arm. Then he looked at the others that had been quiet during their little arguing. “So, what did you guys find out?” he asked.

“Curiously a lot and nothing at the same time.” Oikawa said. “Took one look at Kyou-Ken-chan’s scary face and the prisoners babbled about everything they knew. From how long they have been here to how many people this group had, also the location of some others. I don’t think they were that invested in their cause. They knew nothing about Keiji-chan though.”

Yahaba blinked at that. “What?”

“We went to talk to the prisoners that had been in the attack and the two survivors from the clearing you guys were earlier.” Iwaizumi explained. “None of them seems to be aware of some blue-eyed omega. As far as they remember, they were after the squad’s provisions and weapons.”

“But they asked for Keiji specifically.” Yahaba said.

“Are you sure they weren’t lying?” Kenma added.

“I am.” Iwaizumi nodded. “I never imagined it would be so easy to tell when someone was lying though; those guys had their mind space out in the open.”

“That’s one of the things that can happen when you walk around without the smallest of mind protections.” Kenma said as he scowled toward Bokuto again, the alpha shrinking a bit. “But congratulations, your empathy is way above normal levels now.” Kenma added toward Iwaizumi with a soft voice.

Iwaizumi didn’t have the time to frown at that because Oikawa just slumped himself against his side and _cooed_ at him. “My Iwa-chan, the greatest lie-detector around!”

“Shut up Tooru.” Iwaizumi pushed Oikawa from him.

“Wait!” Yahaba got the issue again. “But how are they not lying? I was there, I heard they asking for Keiji!”

Kenma thought for a moment before continuing. “Maybe the telepath was controlling their short-time memory.” he said with a frown and a hand under his chin. “Maybe that’s how he acted while controlling the attack. He gives orders that do not stick to people’s brains for long, only enough for the tasks to be done. Then after it’s over they only remember minor things, not strategy or huge goals, this way he can protect intel in case his men are taken into custody.”

“But wouldn’t it be harder to control what people will remember or not?” Oikawa asked.

“Probably,” Kenma shrugged. “But with the amount of power that guy had, it’s possible. Also, it definitely allowed him to control who knows what. That’s probably why we hadn’t heard of this kind of organized group since now.”

“God, this is so weird, the heck we’ve got ourselves into?” Yahaba sighed and asked no one in particular, then he looked around the group. “Actually, scratch that. The hell did you guys get us into?”

“Ouch, right for the throat.” Oikawa chuckled as he saw Bokuto gulping again and Kyoutani frowning. “You will never let that one go, will you?”

“Not a chance.” Yahaba said with a dark smirk.

“Me neither. I’m not letting anyone forget about that night, myself included.” Iwaizumi said.

“I wouldn’t either.” Kenma added in the end.

“Freaking guides and their never ending moral compass.” Oikawa snickered again. “Thank heavens this time I had nothing to do with it.”

“Freaking sentinels and their God complex, and that includes you, Shittykawa.” Iwaizumi deadpanned.

“Now, now, Iwa-chan. If you want to bicker, then we have to take this somewhere else.” Oikawa said and Bokuto laughed when Iwaizumi punched the other with a soft red face.

“Wait,” Kenma said a while later to get their attention back from Oikawa’s whining. “They’re moving again, Kuro’s coming over.” then he frowned as if trying to understand something. “Sakusa is going back to the main house with Daichi, but Kuro’s pissed with something…” he trailed off.

“Oh! That’s probably because we’re going to Kyoto now.” Bokuto said.

“I know, he told me that.” Kenma nodded, a little concerned for his mate’s mood. “But what’s the deal with Kyoto? Aren’t we going there to reunite the squad and get a plane? We’re finally going to Fukuoka.” he said and the ones not aware of that perked up at the news.

“Yeah, but…” Bokuto trailed off while scratching the back of his head. “Bro may not have told you yet that Squad Two is the one hosting us in Kyoto until we get on the plane.”

Kenma blinked at the new information for a moment, then he sighed and slumped his shoulders, cursing a bunch of mumbled curses that made Oikawa snort and Iwaizumi shook his head. Then he looked toward Yahaba as the brunette omega frowned at him while trying to understand what was going on.

“You’re right,” Kenma deadpanned, “someone must have got us into a freaking bad joke.” then he walked away in the direction Kuroo was probably coming from, preparing himself to sooth the alpha’s nerves before the situation could escalate further. “Koutarou, don’t forget to get your pocket knife back from Yahaba.” he said without looking back.

Bokuto blinked confused and looked toward Yahaba who was scowling at Kenma’s back with a betrayed look. The omega grumbled something and put a hand inside his pocket, taking the knife out and giving it back to Bokuto, who just looked at the object in his hand before another sound got his attention. From inside the truck they were beside, Bokuto could hear more mumblings, which probably meant that Keiji was still fighting his own nightmares, and neither him or his little pocket knife could help the omega in there.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness was once again the first thing he noticed when his consciousness started to come back to him. This was getting boring, he thought. How long would he need to wake up with nothing other than the emptiness he felt around him?

Keiji made the effort to blink himself awake, taking in his surroundings as everything took shape slowly. He was laying on his back in a place full of shadows and dark corners, but somehow he felt at ease as if he had been there before. He took a deep breath and blinked again, his eyes adapting to the little sparks of moonlight that came inside from one or other crack on the walls and ceiling.

Wait, walls and ceiling? He was pretty sure he had laid down for a nap on the backseat of the truck Bokuto was driving to the farm, so why the hell was he under a room’s ceiling right now? Could he have been sleeping that long that they arrived somewhere and people had to carry him? That’s embarrassing, and for sure he would have woken up if someone moved him that way, right?

With a small movement of his head, Keiji looked around the place, looking to the side and noticing it was a large room, not a bedroom or something, but more like the entrance hall of a large building. And it looked old, really old. Wood seemed to be the prime source of this construction, and even in the dark he could see lots of shards and planks hanging from the walls and down to the floor, as if the place was stormed around not so long ago. He turned his head all the way to the left until his cheeks touched the floor and saw a huge double door in the far end of the place, pieces of it missing and full of bullet holes, but somehow still standing and offering some kind of safety inside this forgotten place.

_Wait… I know that door…_

He did know it. He had seen it before. Although, he didn’t, not in person really, but in another sort of dream. A small breeze hit the place and Keiji saw a feather being carried slowly in front of his face, reminding him suddenly of the last time he was here.

A dream.

Yes, it was in a dream, and now he remembered. The lonely old throne room, the outsides of a castle seeing from above, the happy owl and the entrance with a big doubled door. And then the sound of shooting as the night fell, the trusting against the door from the outside, the panic when people started to run around, the men entering, the shooting, that one bullet aiming to his head, the owl’s screech, the arms and body that protected him, the smell of blood and the feathers falling around as he fell to his back. All of it rushed back to his mind in an instance, and a deep angst feeling flooded his heart.

But there were no traces of any of this now and that helped him calming down his racing heart. All that was left behind was the empty dark room as a memory of what would look like years after the attack. A lonely, dark, dusty, full of spider webs abandoned room. Keiji turned his head to the ceiling again, taking another deep breath and soothing his feelings. He was fine, this was just another dream, like it has always been.

When he started to think about how to wake up to reality again, a small weight on top of his belly caught his attention. He had not noticed it before but now it felt like it has been there for a while. He remembered again that on the end of the last dream a man had pushed him down to the ground and fell on top of him as a shield to the shooting going around, and the bullet aimed at him never hit the target, but still the smell of blood and the falling of lost feathers hovered around.

Keiji _gulped_ and took on the weight on top of him again, imagining if it belonged to the person that had protected him. Who would he see if he looked down? Would he recognize the stranger that saved his life? And would he be alright, or would Keiji look down to see his savior dead and bleeding on top of him? No, he couldn’t think about that, he couldn’t let those dark thoughts always have the upper hand. This was his dream, and he will control it, once and for all.

_Cooo?_

Keiji’s thoughts were cut and his eyes widened when the small sound came to his ears. He lifted his neck and looked down hurriedly, breathing in relief as he saw what was on top of his belly.

The gray and white horned owl looked at him curiously, tilting its head to the side as if analyzing him. Those beautiful golden eyes lighting up the room as if it was the sun itself. Keiji chuckled at his own dumbness. Of course it wasn’t a man, the weight was not that heavy and the creature not that big. The omega lifted one hand and caressed the owl’s head, hearing the animal making a happy comfortable sound and closing its eyes to the touch.

“Hello, Owl-san. It’s been a while.” Keiji said with a smile, the owl just _‘purred’_ more.

Keiji chuckled again and sat up, keeping the owl on his lap as he petted it more. The bird scooped itself closer, nesting comfortably and looking up at Keiji with bright eyes. It _cooed_ again as Keiji ran his fingers through the feathers of its neck and back, the animal a comfort warmth in the middle of that old room.

But then his fingers started to feel different patterns onto the feathers, like open spaces that were not supposed to be there. He frowned and scooped the bird onto his left arm, using his right hand to spread up one wing so he could see the bird’s body closer. He couldn’t find a wound and neither any signs of blood, only some spots here and there from where a feather or two should be. Then he remembered the falling feathers he saw when he was saved that other time, and adding to that came a feeling that he was being protected outside his dreams as well.

“You saved me before, didn’t you?” Keiji asked the owl, locking eyes again with those massive golden orbs. “Who are you, Owl-san?”

The owl blinked once, twice, and then _cooed_ at him again. Keiji sighed when the bird closed its eyes and caressed its head against his chin.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” he chuckled, finger traveling through the bird’s little head, then a new voice sounded around the room.

_What is there to tell that you don’t already know?_

Keiji’s eyes widened and his head shot up to look for the source of the voice, looking around while holding his breath as if something was about to jump at him from the shadows. However, he room was as empty as before, not a single presence hovering around.

Keiji looked around one more time, feeling a shiver run through his body before looking down at the owl in his arms. “Please tell me you were the one that said that.” Keiji asked the bird, much more up for the idea of a talking bird than a ghost.

The owl blinked at him and tilted its head as if Keiji was getting crazy or something. “Right, of course not, never mind.” the raven said slowly raised to his feet, the owl still in his arms. He took one more look around before walking towards the door. “Alright, let’s get out.” he said as he pulled the door.

And it didn’t open.

Keiji frowned, sure, he was using just one hand, but the door looked so old it should move with the smallest effort. Still, it did not move, and Keiji decided to try it with both hands.

“Stay here for a moment.” he said to the owl as putting it on top of an old broken piece of furniture on the side, then he went back to the door and pulled the handler with everything he got.

And nothing happened. He pulled, pushed, trusted himself against it, kicked and almost hurt his foot before taking a step back and scowling at the door, the wood didn’t even make a single scratching sound under all the force he used. Keiji sighed again and looked back at the bird that was staring at him with a tilted head, he was about to say that maybe they should look for another exit when from behind he felt the tell-tale warmth of sunrise. The day was starting outside the castle, and its light got inside the room to chase away the darkness once again. Keiji looked behind himself and saw sparks of light coming from the walls and the ceiling, showing him an open door that led to the side and the balcony.

“Is this the way someone is trying to show me the way out, or is there some kind of new threat waiting for us there?” Keiji asked the owl.

“Cooo!” the owl answered, spreading its wings and flying up, flapping them a couple of times before landing onto Keiji’s right shoulder. “Cooo!” it said again while pointing to the new passage with one wing.

“Sure, of course, why would I want to control my own dream anyway?” Keiji deadpanned at the bird before start walking toward the open balcony. “But if something tries to kill us again, I’m blaming you.”

“Cooo! Cooo!!!” the owl perked up and puffed its chest out as if showing how strong it was and that Keiji had nothing to fear. The omega snorted and petted the little head again, soft feather under his fingers.

He walked with the bird on his shoulder for a moment, taking in all the outside’s beautiful landscape, the same one he saw the first time his dreams brought him to this place. It all seemed surreal, as if a product of his imagination, but still it felt like a real place he’d been before.

Or more like a place someone else had been before.

That thought made him stop walking. Frowning again he looked around as if he wasn’t alone, looking for anything that could tell him that he was indeed following someone else’s steps. This is not the first time he feels this way, he remembers it now. That feeling of guidance back in the car, right before he made Yahaba learn how to fire that weapon, and then the knowledge he borrowed himself to drive that car.

“Cooo?” the owl made a low questioning sound and Keiji looked at it.

“This is not me, is it?” he asked the bird. “This place, this view… there’s no way I can imagine it, I never saw anything like this before.” all he saw in his life were old houses and abandoned buildings, tall fences and dirty dumpsters, back cars and scary armed men. Not this place. This old and beautiful place lost in the waves of time.

 _You don’t need to know it for it to be yours._ Came that voice again and Keiji swirled around to find its owner. The sound was closer than before and the words more clear, but still there was no one there to be seen. Although now a new presence seemed to be around, and Keiji knew that the owl was not his only companion anymore. He should be scared, he felt that he should be, but somehow he wasn’t. No threats or ill intentions were coming his way, just the soothing presence of an old acquaintance, an old friend.

Keiji took a deep breath before mustering courage to speak. “Who’s there?” No one answered and the owl looked at Keiji confused.

“Cooo?” the bird said.

“I know, it’s just…” he trailed off. The bird kept looking at him a while longer before apparently nodding its head, then he jumped up and down onto Keiji’s shoulder and pointed a wing forward again.

“Cooo!” it sounded happy. “COOO!”

“How can you be so sure?” Keiji asked. The owl just urged him again and he sighed, walking a little further until getting to a flight of stairs. He took another deep breath and started to go up.

The stairs continued past the second and the third floor of the castle, and Keiji walked all the way to the fourth one. He didn’t know why, but the owl kept pointing further, alongside with a presence that kept moving along while he walked. On the fourth floor though, something else caught his sight, and he entered a narrow hallway that seemed to lead to big and old private quarters. He didn’t know why he was going that way, but he could feel something calling for him, getting stronger and closer with every new step he took. 

He stopped in front of an old door that someday in the past could have been of a light yellow color, with patterns of blue and green, as well as red, purple and pink little flowers on the edge. Keiji never saw this door before, still he felt a longing nostalgic feeling while looking at it. He knew whom that door belonged to, just as deep down he knew who was the presence that kept following behind him since downstairs. It all belonged to her, just like that sweet caring voice he had inside his head since he was a child.

“Mom?” Keiji whispered, a lump in his throat and a lonely tear running down his face. A breeze came from down the hall and the presence from his back moved toward the room, disappearing behind the wooden door that now had its color as bright as the day it was painted.

“Cooo?” the owl asked while looking at Keiji, wanting to know what he was waiting for.

“I… I don’t know if I should open it.” he looked at the bird, his blue eyes now shining with fear. “I don’t want to come here alone, not without-”

_Not without Yaku._

Keiji held his breath as his friend came to his mind. He wants Yaku here with him. Want him to be by his side when he opens this door. The friend that never left him, the brother that was there every step of the way, the presence that never felt as far as it does now.

_But he is not that far is he? Has he ever left you?_ Came the voice in his mother’s perfect tone, the same one he grew up listening to, the one that always said how much she loved him.

And she was right. Keiji felt as if something took form inside himself, something that left him and traveled miles away toward someone else, something that connected him to the others of his family.

A bond, a pack bond. 

He remembers Hana-baa-san and Saya-ba-chan explaining that to him when he was younger, telling him how a family will always be together even if miles apart. He didn’t understand it at the time, but now it was clear. He doesn’t know why, but now he can feel a connection deep inside his chest, a line that tangled them all together, a thread that allowed him to feel his friend’s feelings.

Keiji closed his eyes and suddenly Yahaba’s face popped in his mind, a deep frown in his face as he looked at some drawings as if trying to put together a puzzle. He was safe, Keiji could feel it, and that brought such relief he could cry at the spot. Then he reached further and tried to follow the farther end of this connection, to the one he knew was thinking about him as well.

Yaku’s face showed inside his mind and Keiji smiled. His friend was sit in an alley back in Sector C, hugging his knees to his chest and dozing off as if trying to sleep but being too worried to do so. Keiji wanted to be there by his side, be the one to watch over as his friend rested, just like Yaku did for him so many times. But right when Keiji was dealing with his feelings, it was Yaku’s own presence that got stronger, as if the other omega had intentionally sent a message, a promise. He was reassuring Keiji that he was still there, and that they would meet again.

Keiji smiled and opened his eyes, a new determination shining through it. His friends were there, they had never left him. Just like Hana-baa-chan and the elders, like Kaori and now Yachi. Like Saya-ba-chan that had the most gorgeous smile, like his mother and her perfect loving voice. Like the horned owl on his shoulder, egging him to move forward.

_I am not alone, and I will see my family again._

Keiji put a hand on the painted door and slid it to the side, opening it fully for the first time since those dreadful days when it had been closed.

What he saw inside was a room as empty as every other one in that place. There were pieces of furniture around, broken vases and ripped clothes and sheets. All dusty and scattered around, as if someone had to leave in a hurry while something else stormed the room. He took a few steps while looking around, seeing nothing but old broken things, then the owl _cooed_ again and he looked forward.

An old big chest stood near an empty closet and Keiji frowned at the thing. Different from everything else, the chest seemed like it hadn’t aged a day, with its deep dark wooden color looking as if someone had just polished it, as well as the embossed images all over its surface. It was beautiful, majestic even, like an heirloom passed for generations. Like a link between everything that could only be shared by blood itself.

It was beautiful. The images that decorated it showed some kind of a crest with a tree with deep and thick roots in the middle, then it spread around as its branches reached out to both sides and met again all the way in the back, forming a new mix of little branches and leaves with a single flower on the middle. Two big strong and menacing birds sat around on the branches with open wings and beaks, as if protecting that little existence in the middle.

Keiji was entranced by the image, and by everything else as well. There were more animals in other places, silhouettes of a mountain, the sun and the moon on each side of the first tree, as well as an eclipse on top of it on the exact point where the upper branches started to divide to follow opposite sides until meeting again in the back. It was all too beautiful, and it felt like it held the history of the world in it.

“Cooo?” the owl’s noise brought Keiji back from his thoughts.

“What?” he asked as his eyes left the images on the chest and focused on the bird in his shoulder. “What is it, Owl-san?”

The owl hopped up and down on his shoulder and then pointed a wing behind them. “Cooo!”

Keiji had circled the chest as he analyzed the images and now was standing facing the door he had come from, with his back to the empty wall on the far end. Or at least that wall was empty when he had got there. Now that the owl was pointing to his back, Keiji got a bit aware of a small presence behind him.

He gulped in fear but slowly turned his head to look, the owl following his movement. On his back, between him and the dusty wall, hovering in the air a little over his shoulder but still far from touching him, stood a single ball of dim light, floating a little like an overgrown firefly. Keiji blinked at the light, and as if answering a greeting, the light flashed stronger for a second before going back to the dim tone.

Keiji screamed.

He shouted in fear and stumbled backwards to run away from the ball of light, but the chest stood on his away and he hit the back of his leg in it, making his knees bend and his upper body fall back and over the chest. He hit the ground on the other side, having fallen completely over the chest with his legs in the air. He hurriedly crawled backward until regaining his balance, thrusting his hands on the dirty floor and shooting to his feet again. The owl had jumped from his shoulder the moment he screamed to avoid being crushed by his flying limbs. It flew up and perked itself on an old cabinet that stood to the side of the old closet, looking down at Keiji with amused shining eyes. The ball of light stood in the same place, unfazed by the whole ordeal. Keiji’s wide eyes faced it again when he stood back up, not even staring for a minute before he turned around and speed walked toward the door.

“Okay, well, good talk. Bye.” he said to nothing and himself at the same time as aiming for the door… just to have his face banged against it when it suddenly closed, locking him inside.

He took a deep breath to try steading his nerves. _What the hell was happening now? Maybe this is that poltergeist stuff Yahaba tried to scare me with years ago? No, No, it can't be that. This is a dream, and anything can happen in a dream right? Right?_

He opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them, and looked back at the other end of the room from over his shoulder. The ball of light was still there, unfazed by all the ruckus, as if it was not responsible for Keiji's suffering. The owl remained perked beside it as well, and Keiji didn't know if the animal was even aware of it anymore.

"Cooo!" The animal said, moving its head up and down happily. "Cooo!!!"

"Right… alright…" Keiji took another breath and turned around slowly, his back now touching the closed door as he looked toward the light. "Fine, it's fine. There's nothing really there, Right?" He asked the bird.

The owl tilted its head to the side in confusion, again looking at Keiji as if he was stupid. Then the ball of light began to float toward the bird and Keiji held his breath. The light neared the animal until it seemed to be touching it, to what the owl turned its head to face it, golden eyes softening immediately as it connected with the strange presence. Then it closed its eyes and rubbed its head against the light, much like it does against Keiji's chin, that same "purring" sound it usually did echoing around.

_Right, the little bastard definitely is aware of it. Freaking traitor._ Keiji thought as he scowled at the animal.

Things remained like that for a couple more minutes until the light moved again. It did not move toward Keiji, but stood itself floating on top of the old chest.

_What do you fear?_ A voice echoed on the empty room.

"Huum…" Keiji didn't know how to answer. He didn't even know what that thing was to know if he should be scared of it. He opened his arms as if showing the room in a whole, not wanting to be too rude to a possible ghost.

Silence hovered again for a moment before the voice came again.

_What do you fear the most?_

Keiji frowned at that. What could this mean? He was scared now, but something deep inside himself was telling him that he was safe there. So what does he fear other than his own nightmares?

Reality.

The answer came to his mind along with images of everything that has been happening since the day of the Hunt. The fear he felt when that first alpha jumped onto the man that sent Yachi to the ground, desperation and panic when he saw Yaku lying on the ground after Kyoutani kicked him away, terror that frozen his veins hearing Yahaba's scream as he was bitten.

Then all the danger they faced after. The shots that made him sick, the attack on the camp outside the town, that woman that burned him, the second attack and the blonde telepath that wasn't sparing lives to get to him. But most of all, the blinding fear of almost losing Yahaba in that clearing. The shot that would have taken his brother's life if it wasn't for Bokuto and Kyoutani showing up in the last second.

What he feared the most was reality, and how it could rip his family from him in the blink of an eye.

Keiji looked straight at the ball of light, a new determination shining in his blue eyes.

"How do I fight it?" He asked the presence. "That telepath wanted to know things about me, things I myself couldn't answer. Is that knowledge what is going to help me fight my enemies? My fears?"

 _Knowledge is always a weapon against fear._ The voice echoed.

"So how do I find it?" He asked. "How do I know?"

The light remained there, and no other sound was made.

"Mom!" Keiji said, taking a couple steps toward the light. "It is you, right? How do I find out what I need to know? Where do I get the answers?"

 _"Time."_ Her voice said more clearly.

Keiji scowled. "I don't have time!" He argued. "Shigeru almost died because I couldn't answer a simple question about who I was! I need to know now. I need to protect my family!"

 _"Time…"_ she repeated. _"And faith!"_ Then the light moved fast and touched the top of the chest, vanishing as if sucked inside of it. 

"Wait!" Keiji said and rushed to the chest, kneeling in front of it and trying to pull it open. "Mom, please! I need to know!"

Nothing else happened and the chest didn't budge, as if there was no opening at all. Behind Keiji, the room's door opened again slowly, as if showing him that he could leave again if he wanted.

Keiji looked back at the door when he heard its sound, frowning at it before hearing the owl moving again, the animal landing on top of the chest right in front of him. He looked back at it, himself still kneeled in front of the closed chest.

"Cooo!" The owl _cooed_ proudly at him.

"It is here, right?" Keiji asked, pointing at the chest. "The knowledge that I need, the things that I'm supposed to know. It's inside this chest, right?"

"Cooo!" The owl nodded at him. "Cooo!!!"

"How do I open it?" Keiji asked again.

Now the owl deadpanned at him. "Cooo… cooo!" It said as if meaning _'are you stupid? She already told you!'_

"I don't have time to wait for… time!" Keiji scowled at the bird. "Help me open it or get out of my way!" he said as he tried to open the chest again, pulling the top with his hands as he used his legs to help concentrate strength on his hips

“Screech!!” the owl screeched outraged at him, flying back onto his shoulder and starting to peck his head.

“Ouch, ouch, Hey!” he tried to push the bird away, but it just flew higher and out of his reach.

“Cooo! Cooo!” it said angrily again and pointed toward the door.

“No, I am not going.” Keiji said stubbornly. “I came all the way up here and I am not leaving without opening this thing!” he pointed at the chest.

“Screech!!” the owl screeched again and went back to the chest, sitting on top of it and scowling at Keiji with its wings folded in front of its body.

 _Is this bird scowling and crossing its “arms” at me?_ Keiji thought as he scowled back at the bird. “Move away. I am opening this chest even if I have to throw it down the stairs!” he said as he moved to the other side of the chest to try pushing it toward the door.

The owl screeched again and flapped its wings desperately, jumping into Keiji’s face to stop him from moving the chest. Keiji yelped and fought with the bird for a moment, curses and screechings echoing around the room. Then a new voice sounded and they both stopped their movement.

_Keiji? Time to wake up, come on!_

“Shigeru?” Keiji asked out loud, the owl in his hands _cooing_ an interrogation as well.

_Maybe he is low in carbs._ Sounded another voice. Was that Kuroo? _Hey Bo, put the food near his nose._

 _Right! Good morning Keiji, time for breakfast!_ Bokuto’s voice came and the owl perked up with a happy ‘ _cooo!’_ to which Keiji scowled back.

The voices continued for a moment longer, bickering between themselves as they called for Keiji to wake up. After a while, he left a deep breath and shook his head, a small smile creeping at his face as he heard the voices coming from outside the room. He opened his hands and the owl flew out of it, landing again on top of the chest and looking with bright golden eyes toward him… and an expression that looked too much like a smirk.

“Don’t look at me like that, I am coming back later to pull this thing open.” Keiji said as he pointed to the bird. “And if you get in my way again mister, I am bringing a bird cage with me.”

“COOO!?” the owl jumped in the air with a terrified expression, flying a couple of rounds around the room before landing on Keiji’s shoulder again, hoping closer to his face and trusting its head against the omega’s chin.

Keiji snorted, he couldn’t win against this little bastard. “Don’t you dare try to sweet hoot yourself at me.” he raised an eyebrow.

“Cooo…” the owl did slowly, relishing in the pets Keiji was giving it now.

The voices came again and he was pretty sure Kuroo just suggested something to do with a bucket of cold water. He sighed and straightened his body again, giving one last look at the chest that remained unfazed by everything around it.

_I am coming back for this. That’s a promise._ He thought as he walked away and out of the door, the owl still perked on his shoulder. He stepped out at the hallway the same moment a bright strong white light came to swallow everything around, blinding him for a second and disappearing with the room and the castle altogether.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything got dark again before Keiji started to get back to his senses. First thing he noticed was that he was lying down on what looked like the seats of a vehicle, with his head in someone’s lap. Then the light through his eyelids showed it was indeed morning, as well as the noises that were echoing around the place, he grumbled when all of it started to get too annoying.

“Finally! I was almost letting him go get the water bucket!” Yahaba’s voice came to his ears as he rubbed his eyes. “Morning, you lazy bastard.” his friend’s smirk was the first thing he saw when he finally opened his eyes.

“Yahaba-san?” he asked while sitting up. “How long was I out?”

“Almost twenty four hours, again.” Yahaba said while deadpanning at him. “Can you please stop falling into minor comas? If it wasn't for all the movement and talking I would think you died.”

“Movement and… talking?” Keiji asked slowly.

“Yeah! It seemed like you were having one eventful dream!” a happy voice said and Keiji looked toward it, confirming that he was still on the backseat of the fourth truck, just now Bokuto and Kuroo were also there. “Good morning Keiji! You missed all the road trip!”

“Morning… Bokuto-san…” Keiji said confused before his dream started to come back to his mind, then he nodded slowly, to himself more than anything, before facing the alpha again. “Road trip?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah! Welcome to Kyoto!” Bokuto said and Keiji noticed that they were parked alongside with other trucks, their cabins just opening and the drivers starting to get out to stretch their sore muscles. Kyoto… the name seemed like something he knew, although he never heard of the place before.

“What are we doing here?” Keiji asked. “I thought we were going to the base. Fukuoka, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah well, commander asshole decided to send us to hell.” this time it was Kuroo that answered.

“Kuroo! Don’t say dumb things!” Bokuto screeched, then he turned to Keiji again. “Don’t worry Keiji, this place is cool! Kuroo just doesn't like the squad’s captain we’re staying with!”

Keiji blinked confused but it was Yahaba that caught his attention again. “Hey Kej, look at this!” he trusted a paper bag to the raven's hands and motioned for him to look inside. “These are what I described to you years ago, remember? French fries! Try one!” he added with a huge smile.

Keiji turned his eyes from his friend’s face and looked inside the bag on his hands. First thing he felt was a delicious scent he had never smelled before, then he put a hand inside and retrieved one long yellow thing that wobbled a little when he raised it up to see it better. With his peripheral vision, he noticed that Yahaba was waiting for him to try it, a smirk on his face as he already knew what reaction he would have. Then he noticed that Bokuto was also turned on the front seat to look at him, as well as Kuroo who was observing him through the rearview in the front.

Blushing a little from the attention he was getting, Keiji put the thing in his mouth and chewed it, widening his eyes in awe when he tasted the food. He looked at Yahaba with an amazed expression and his friend left a full laughter.

“It’s delicious, isn’t it!?” Yahaba was almost jumping up and down on his seat. “Here, try it with some of these sauces!” he passed Keiji a couple of cups with some colorful liquids inside.

“Where did all of these come from!?” Keiji asked after putting three more fries full of barbecue sauce inside his mouth.

“These two pretended to go to the bathroom on the road outside town just to stop by a fast food.” Yahaba said as he pointed toward the two alphas on the front. “I ate a whole bag of it already, this one is yours.” he added, still smiling.

Keiji nodded and then looked to the alphas upfront. “Thank you for the food Bokuto-san, Kuroo-san.”

“Don’t worry about it, glad you liked it.” Kuroo answered as he waved a hand in dismissal, a soft expression on his face.

“Did you really liked it, Keiji? They must be cold and all… I can grab some fresh ones for you.” Bokuto asked nervously.

“They are still warm and amazing Bokuto-san, thank you.” Keiji answered as he happily ate more, then he looked inside the bag again when his fingers grazed against something larger. “What is this in the bottom?” he asked.

“A cheeseburger!” Yahaba answered with a smirk in the face and shiny eyes. Keiji snapped his eyes at him, mouth dropped open as his eyes clearly said _‘No Way!’_.

Kuroo snickered as Bokuto looked at Keiji fondly, sighing as he watched Yahaba showing Keiji how to _“give the best first bite on a cheeseburger”_.

“Well, good to see at least someone enjoying this freaking trip.” it was Kuroo that said as Keiji chewed happily the food in his mouth.

“What’s your deal with this guy anyway?” Yahaba asked the raven alpha, licking his finger where a bit of sauce ended up falling. “You had been shit-talking him the whole drive, I was almost punching you.”

“Well, for the record you did punch my seat at least twice.” Kuroo told him with a scowl.

“Well, that’s because Keiji was sleeping on me and I couldn’t reach further.” Yahaba said back, unfazed by the alpha’s scowl. “Now tell us, what’s the deal?”

“That bastard is a freaking snake!” Kuroo threw his arms up. “He likes to piss me off with his superiority complex! And also that nickname that he always-”

“He challenged Kuroo all the time while we were at the academy.” Bokuto cut Kuroo in order to explain to the omegas. “Then when we got to our third years, the best cadets are put in a special class on the whole other side of the compound. None of us made it there, and the guy never let Kuroo forget it.”

“Well, he is a douche!” Kuroo said. “Everyone in that academy knew that we were the best students, we just stood out of the special ward because no one there liked us!”

“Well, anyway, he got there and we didn’t.” Bokuto shrugged his shoulders. “No reason for keeping reminiscing on that.”

Kuroo raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Oh, don’t you come to me with this bullshit! I know pretty well how you were on edge the whole time we remained in that farm with Sakusa around!”

“Who’s Sakusa?” Keiji asked Yahaba after swallowing the last of his burger, licking his fingers clean of the sauce.

“Another alpha captain that got to the farm and chased us out.” Yahaba explained. “He came on a big chopper and everything.”

“But that’s different!” Bokuto screeched, his whole body trembling in anger. “Sakusa used the fact that he is also a level five to say that I was a waste of enhanced senses just because I couldn’t find my mate in time for the special class! While he was the one that picked the first guide he saw, as if it didn’t matter! I was waiting for Keiji because I wanted the perfect mate and-” he cut himself when Kuroo widened his eyes at that last eyes, realizing his slip and blushing like a mad man.

Kuroo snickered as Bokuto turned his whole back at them and looked to the other side, facing his window with his face burning in shame. Yahaba snorted and mumbled a _gross_ when Keiji pretended to search for a last lost frie inside the paper bag, his face also pink all around. Then someone banged on Kuroo’s door from the outside and they all turned to see.

“Come on Kuroo-chan, no use in delaying the inevitable.” Oikawa was smirking at the raven alpha from the outside.

“Shut up, Trash King, we’re going.” the alpha answered.

“Hey, you both wait here for a moment.” Bokuto turned again to talk to the omegas. “I’ll come back to get you when there’s less people around, let the sentinels get inside first.”

Both omegas nodded and Keiji looked outside again, making sure to be as hidden behind the front seats as possible. From his position, he could see now a bunch of the squad’s sentinel walking around as they got their bags from their trucks, as well as their omegas hovering with boxes and bags too. He saw the entrance of the building most of them were walking to, recognizing captain Sawamura moving toward a man standing on its front, a side smirk on his face with a posture that showed that he carried himself like the greatest man around.

Keiji frowned. “Who is that guy shaking Captain Sawamura’s hand?” he asked the alphas.

Kuroo scowled darkly. “That, is Daishou Suguru.” he said slowly. “Our host.” then he kicked his door open and jumped out of the vehicle, Bokuto doing the same after biding them goodbye.

“Well…” Yahaba said after a moment. “I guess we’ll have to wait for now.”

Keiji nodded before sitting back on the seat and lowering himself a little to be out of sight. He obviously didn’t have a reason to share Kuroo’s distaste for the other alpha, but if that side smirk told him anything, it was that he wasn’t eager to meet this new sentinel either.

________________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Hey Hey! How much I missed it here!
> 
> How is everyone doing? Did you guys enjoyed the chapter?  
> This has taken forever to write and I'm so Sorry!!! The end of the year is always a busy time for me and I didn't get much time to write, so I got too anxious and wanted to finished it so bad!  
> Anyway, I hope you liked it! I'm sorry if there are too many mistakes around, I finished writing it this morning and only re-readed it twice.
> 
> So... we got to see Yaku again, yay! I remeber that Pomx2 commented back in chapter 9 that Yaku would be in denial about the cat and I couldn't resist it! But dang, he almost got caught... what as he thinking?
> 
> Oh! About Bokuto's POV! In case it ended up being confusing, an Enhanced sense is something the sentinel's have, kind of always turned on autopilot. But the Enhancement is a tecnique that the sentinel learn, like a special attack. It's when they focus their mind, body and energy in just one or two senses, making them even more powerful than before. It last for a certain period of time and it is dangerous if the sentinel doesn't have a proper guide to control the backslash of the senses to prevent an overload.  
> Curiously... this wasn't planned and I have no idea if it is real in the cannon Sentinel/Guide Au. It just felt right and I put it there. Tell me if it got confusing!
> 
> Keiji's POV... that chest was also totally not planned, but I liked the idea of it. I alread "requested" a drawing of it to make things more clear, so be tuned to my Tumblr (@nicky-th) or Twitter (@nicky_cdz)! Also, I have been posting updatings on my writing there, so go and interact with me!
> 
> I hope you all had a good holiday, and Happy New Year to everyone that made the last months of 2020 happier with comments and kudos! I loved it all!  
> Please leave a comment to tell me what you thought of the chapter! Everyone have a good end of sunday, people in Australia and Phillipines, a good monday and great week!
> 
> Stay safe everyone! Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> FANARTS!!! Thank you very much for the wonderfull and talented artists that makes my day!  
> From [TH_LuckyStar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TH_LuckyStar): [Chapter 9](https://nicky-th.tumblr.com/post/632967180522307584/hey-hey-hey-to-everyone-whos-following-my) // [Chapter 10](https://nicky-th.tumblr.com/post/633595017285500928/hey-hey-hey-another-chapter-another-fanart)  
> From [CheCheCheer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheCheCheer): [Those who are forsaken](https://twitter.com/CheeCheeCheer/status/1322902449657573379) // [An Interesting Development ](https://twitter.com/CheeCheeCheer/status/1350661014048542724/photo/1)  
> Come scream at me on [Tumblr](http://nicky-th.tumblr.com/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nicky_cdz/) or [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/thehunt.nicky/)!


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